Jane Morgendorffer
by LadieTAG
Summary: Follow-up to The Lane That Wasn't.  Join me as we take a look at the adventures of a young Jane Morgendorffer and Daria Lane.
1. Chapter 1

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 1)

**August 30, 1990 - Highland Elementary School - Highland, Texas  
**  
Helen called up from the kitchen. "Jane, Quinn ... time to get up. It's the first day of school. You don't want to be late."

Helen and Jake laughed as they heard a flurry of activity from the rooms above. Quinn came bounding downstairs first, eager to show off her new pink sneakers and t-shirt. Jane arrived a few minutes later wearing a red shirt and black shorts. In one hand was her backpack, the other her favorite book _Black Beauty_. After finishing breakfast, Jane and Quinn hugged their mom before following their dad out the door.

Both girls were looking forward to school. Quinn was happy because this was her first year in the "big kid" section of the school. Jane had heard from some of the older kids that third grade was when they started giving book reports as homework. The only downside was the sisters wouldn't have lunch at the same time. This didn't bother Quinn as much as it did Jane. Jane's intelligence made it harder for her to make friends.

After Jake wished them good luck, he drove off. Quinn's teacher was waiting outside for her students. Jane's teacher ... Ms. Harrison stood at the front door. She saw Jane approaching and smiled. They had met at the "Get To Know Your Teacher Picnic" that had been held a few days earlier. Jane headed straight to class and began reading. Soon, several other students began entering the room. _Oh great ... not Beavis and Butthead. I thought they failed last year_. As the school bell rang, the teacher closed her door and sat at her desk. After she was taking roll, there was a tiny knock at the door. She opened it to see a short girl with black hair and large rimmed glasses. The girl handed her a note from the principal. The teacher smiled as she pointed to the desk next to Jane.

"Class ... we have a new student to Highland Elementary. I want everyone to say hi to Daria Lane."

"Hi Daria," the class spoke in unison.

"Umm ... hello," the short girl's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hey Beavis...the new girl's name is Diarrhea."

"Yeah...Diarrhea"

"That's Daria you neanderthalic sub-humans." Jane growled.

"Jane ... that's not nice."

"I'm sorry Ms. Harrison."

"Yeah that's not nice _brain_." Butthead laughed.

Jane winced. She really couldn't stand those two. The girl was looking at her now, with a slight smile on her face. Jane returned the gesture. The two turned their attention back to the teacher as the lessons for the day began. A couple of hours later, the teacher announced it was time for recess. Jane didn't like recess. She liked running around, but not to play tag or hide and seek. Spending most of her recesses reading, Jane distanced herself from others. Being the last student to make it outside, she was surprised to see the new girl already at a bench. She appeared to be drawing something in a large notebook. Sitting down on the other end of the bench, Jane opened her book.

"Thank you." Jane heard the other girl whisper.

"You're welcome, Daria. Don't pay any attention to those two. I am surprised they can spell their own names. I'm Jane ... Jane Morgendorffer." She scooted herself to the middle of the bench.

"Nice to meet you Jane." Daria noticed the book in Jane's hands. "What are you reading?"

"_Black Beauty_, it's my favorite book." Jane handed it to Daria.

Daria opened it up and began to flip through it. "There's no pictures in it."

Daria read the first couple of pages. Giving the book back to Jane, Daria flipped over to a new sheet in her sketchbook. She began to draw a picture of several horses running away from a shadow of someone throwing something at them. Jane recognized the scene immediately. The teacher signaled for the end of recess. Daria closed her sketchbook and walked with Jane back to class. They weren't in class for long. Lunch was forty five minutes later. Daria and Jane sat across from each other. After eating her bread and peanut butter sandwich, Daria went back to work on the picture. By the time lunch was over, Daria was through with the picture. Tearing the page out of her sketchbook, Daria hesitantly gave it to Jane.

"Read the first couple of pages again then look at the drawing. Every good story deserves pictures."

Now it was Jane's turn to say thanks. Jane had never been given anything from anyone outside of her birthdays and holidays. Jane took the picture and folded it to where the picture fit inside the book perfectly. Once the bell rang signifying the end of school, Jane went outside and waited for Quinn. Quinn arrived moments later, chatting with a little group of her classmates. As they waited for Jake, Jane saw Daria finally exit the school. Waving for Daria to join them, Daria paused for a moment before walking towards them.

"Quinn ... this is Daria. She's in my class. Daria - that's my sister Quinn."

"Hi. Are you waiting for your dad to pick you up too?" Quinn asked.

Daria shook her head. "I have to go to the junior high school and wait for my brother. We get picked up and dropped off there by one of the adults from the commune."

"Maybe you can ask your mom and dad if you can come over to our house after school tomorrow. We can play video games or something."

"I'll talk to Trent, my brother. I better go. If I am late, they won't wait for me. See you tomorrow Jane." Daria frowned then walked away quickly, turning to the direction of the junior high that was a couple of blocks away.

A couple of minutes later, Jake arrived at the school. Quinn jumped into the front seat and began telling her dad about her day. Jane sat quietly in the back. As they headed in the opposite direction of the junior high, Jane stared out the back window. Upon arriving home, Jane did what little bit of homework she had. Finishing the work quickly, Jane pulled out the picture Daria had drawn for her. Helen pulled into the driveway shortly after five. As the family ate dinner, Helen asked how their first day of school went. After Quinn excitedly gave her mother a minute by mintue run down of her day, Helen turned to Jane.

"How was your first day sweetie?"

"There's a new girl in my class named Daria. I invited her over to play video games tomorrow if that's okay. I think I made a friend." Jane smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 2)

For the first time since kindergarten, Jane was looking forward to going to school. Helen didn't even have to yell to get her to come downstairs. Helen and Jake were pleased at the change in Jane's disposition. They hoped that Daria's parents would allow her to come over. Quinn came down shortly after and was surprised to see her sister smiling. Jane hurried through breakfast, grabbed her book bag and lunchbox and waited at the car. Jake and Quinn came outside a few minutes later. They pulled into school just as Daria was walking down the curb. Asking her dad to wait a minute, she waved for Daria to join her. Jake was surprised at how small Jane's new friend was. After introductions, Daria turned to Jane.

"Trent said I can't come over unless he can to. He doesn't like me being someplace new without him. He's afraid mom and dad will get mad at him."

Jake frowned when he heard Daria's comment. "Where does he go to school?"

"Lawndale Junior High."

"We can pick him up after we leave here ok kiddo?"

Daria nodded. "Thank you sir."

"Call me Mr. M Daria. You three have a good day and I'll see you this afternoon."

Jane and Quinn waved at their father as he drove away. Ms. Harrison watched Daria and Jane walk in together. She was happy to see that Jane and Daria were getting along. Ms. Harrison had heard some bad stories about the artist commune on the edge of town. Lots of drug use and arrests occurred there. _Jane's family might be a good influence on Daria_. When the teacher arrived in class, Daria was drawing in her sketchbook while Jane watched. The teacher walked up to them, the sheets of paper in front of Daria were in Jane's neat handwriting. _Daria is taking Jane's words and making a picture from them. Jane's story is very good. She writes like an teenager and she's only eight_. The teacher congratulated both of them on the good work. They turned to each other and smirked.

After the bell rang, Ms. Harrison began her math lesson. She asked Daria to solve a problem on the blackboard. After a several moments, Daria turned and whispered something in the teacher's ear. Ms. Harrison gave her an sympathetic nod and let her return to her seat. Jane could tell that Daria was upset. Daria refused to look up from her desk until it was time for recess. As they were about to leave the classroom, Ms. Harrison pulled Jane and Daria to the side.

"Daria ... I'm sorry I upset you earlier. Would you like Jane to help you with your math?"

Daria nodded. Ms. Harrison handed Daria a sheet of problems. "You and Jane can stay in here where it's quiet and work on these together. When you're done, you can either go outside or stay in here and finish your drawing. Is that okay with you Jane?"

"Yes Ms. Harrison."

Ms. Harrison slid their desks together and left the room. Jane went to work explaining to her adding three digit numbers. After walking her through the first couple of problems, Jane had Daria finish the page. When she finished, Jane looked over the sheet. After showing Daria how to correct them, Jane placed the worksheet back on the teacher's desk. A faint half smile came over Daria's face. With their desks still together, Daria went back to work on the picture from Jane's story.

That afternoon, Jake arrived to pick up the three girls. Daria listened to Quinn and Jane talk to each other. Jake parked in the waiting line at the junior high. They had ten more minutes before school let out. Jake turned to face the backseat.

"So Daria, besides Trent, do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

"I have a brother named Wind. He's been married two times. My sister Summer has one kid and is about to have another one. Penny ran away from home when I was four. We got a letter from her in June. She was living in a place called Ar..Argen.."

"Argentina?" Jake replied.

"Yes Mr. M, she's making coin pouches there."

"I bet your parents must be worried about her."

"Not really. My parents travel a lot to."

Daria heard the bell ring. She stepped out of the car and waited for Trent. Jake noticed a very thin, tall teenager walking towards her. Seeing the young girl's face light up as he approached, Jake started the car. The young man opened the back door to let his sister inside. Sliding in after her, the young man sat his books down. Jake reached over to shake his hand. Trent extended his hand.

"Trent ... this is Jane and her sister Quinn."

"Hi Daria's friends. Thank you for inviting her over."

"Any friend of Jane's welcomed to come over any time."

When they arrived home, Jake allowed Jane to hook the video game system up to the living room television. Quinn went across the street to play with one of her friends. Jane and Daria were in the middle of an intense game of Super Mario Brothers when Helen arrived home. Jane paused her turn and ran up to hug her mom. Helen saw tiny girl and very skinny boy sitting on the floor looking up at her. She knelt down beside them.

"Mom, this is my friend Daria an her brother Trent. He wouldn't let her come over unless he came to."

"Jane showed me the picture you drew for her yesterday. You're a really good artist."

"Thank you." A slight blush came over Daria's face.

"Trent, I bet your parents are happy that you're a protective big brother."

"Somebody's gotta look out for Dee." Trent lowered his head.

Helen flashed a look of concern at his comment. Not because it was said in malice, but rather sadness. The lawyer side of Helen began to wonder exactly what kind of home life the siblings had. Not wanting to upset Jane, she would shelve her concerns until she was alone with Jake. Jake walked into the living room and gave Helen a hug.

"So, what do you kids want for dinner tonight? Our usual Friday night meal?"

"Yes!" Jane smirked. "We usually order pizza on Friday nights. Do you like pizza?"

Daria looked over at Trent in confusion. "Remember when mom brought that big box home that one night last year ... that was pizza."

Daria thought about it for a moment then a big smile came over her face and she nodded. Helen went into the kitchen to place their order. A few moments later, Quinn came running into the house crying. Helen was still on the phone while Jake was outside mowing the backyard. Daria and Jane had changed games and were now in an one-on-one battle. Looking at Quinn's knee and seeing the blood, Trent stood up.

"Do you know where your parents keep your band-aids?"

Nodding, Quinn led him to the downstairs bathroom and pointed at the medicine closet. Pulling out the peroxide and a couple of band-aids, Trent knelt down in front of her. Quinn gave his hand a tight squeeze as he quickly cleaned the scratches. Once the ointment and band-aids were applied, Quinn felt better. Upon standing up, Trent was almost knocked over by the bear hug Quinn had him in. He gave a slight laugh before they returned to the living room. By this time, Helen was off the phone and had watched the scene play out. _That was definitely not the first time he has done that._

After dinner, Helen looked at the clock. It was almost seven thirty. Helen walked back into the living room. Jake and the kids were playing Life. As the game was nearing its end, Helen sat down with the group.

"Trent ... if it's okay with your parents, Daria can spend the night here if she wants to. You can pack her a change of clothes and I'll bring it back with me when I drop you off." Helen said.

"They aren't home right now, but I'm sure that would be okay. Do you want to stay here tonight?"

Daria's eyes lit up. "Yes, please. Thanks Trent." She stood up and hugged her brother.

Heading towards the door, Trent was surprised when both Jane and Quinn got up and hugged him as well. Grabbing his books, Trent smiled and returned the gesture. Turning back towards Daria, Trent gave her a stern look.

"Daria ... don't stay up all night drawing okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

She waved at him and then followed Jane and Quinn upstairs so they could show her their rooms. The drive to the artist commune was quiet one. Helen and Trent talked about Daria and his guitar playing. As they neared the entrance to the artist colony, Helen could see several flashing blue lights and police officers everywhere. _This is not good ... not good at all._


	3. Chapter 3

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 3)

As Helen pulled up to the commune's entrance, they were stopped by one of the officers. After hearing their explanation, the officer allowed Helen to come in. Trent pointed to one of the last little houses on the left. Trent invited Helen inside. Looking around, it was obvious that an adult had not lived in the house for at least a month. Helen told Trent to pack for not only Daria but himself for the entire Labor day weekend. _Jake and I are going to have a long talk when I get home. How could anyone leave their thirteen year old son to take care of his eight year old sister.  
_  
Several minutes later, Trent came out with a small suitcase, his guitar and some sketchbooks and pencils for Daria. Helen helped Trent put everything in the trunk and proceeded to leave. Turning to Trent, Helen could see the a young man who was lost and scared. Returning to the Morgendorffer residence, the girls were happily surprised to see Trent with Helen. When Helen announced that Daria and Trent would be staying all weekend, Quinn started bouncing up and down while Jane and Daria couldn't stop smiling. Looking at Helen in confusion, Jake was given a we'll talk later stare back.

Helen showed Trent the guest bedroom. Once everything was unpacked, he called for Daria to change into her pajamas. Stepping out of the room, Trent was met by Quinn who gave him another hug for fixing her knee. A few moments later, Daria was dressed for bed and heading to Jane's room with her colored crayons in hand. Giving his little sister a quick kiss on the forehead, Trent headed back downstairs. Helen and Jake were in the kitchen. Getting permission to pour himself a glass of milk, Trent sat down. Helen decided to approach him about his home life.

Trent explained that their parents were teaching on another commune and he wasn't sure when they would be back. He told them that his father came home long enough to sign them up for public school for the first time. When they asked him about money, Trent said that a little was mailed to them every week for groceries and to pay the lights and water. They didn't own a phone. Trent's face was mixed with anger and disappointment. Helen asked them what kind of groceries were bought, his answer was simple: bread, cereal, peanut butter, milk, bologna and cheese. Trent didn't know how to cook. The answer that bothered Helen the most was when she asked Trent when he expected his parents to be home. His voice broke when he gave his three word answer.

"I don't know."

Helen and Jake could see the tears forming in the teenager's face. Helen walked over to Trent and placed a reaffirming hand on his shoulder. Trent stood up, hugged Helen and burst into tears. Struggling to keep her own eyes from watering, Helen allowed him to cry against her. Jake placed a his hand on Trent's other shoulder. Trent began to calm down and apologized for crying. Helen dismissed the apology with a warm smile.

"It's okay son, we'll help you and your sister out." Jake left the room before Helen could see the anger and rage in his eyes.

Being emotionally drained, Trent yawned and walked back upstairs. Placing the cup in the dishwasher, Helen headed for bed. She stopped into each bedroom to wish the kids goodnight. Daria and Jane were still up, drawing and writing while Quinn was curled up on the floor sleeping. Helen carefully lifted Quinn and brought her to her room. Returning to Jane's room, she gave a five minute warning to turn off the lights. Checking on Trent, Helen found him lying up against the wall clutching his guitar for dear life. Exiting his room, Helen saw the lights go off in Jane's room. Jake was sitting up in bed waiting for her to arrive.

"The boy is thirteen years old Helen. How could they expect him to take care of himself much less her?" Jake didn't realize how loud his voice was.

"Calm down Jake, I know. I'm going to have to call social services in the morning and report it."

"What will happen to them if you do that Helen?"

"They'll be put into foster care. I doubt they would even be kept together. With their advanced ages, the chances of them getting adopted are almost nil."

"There has to be a better solution Helen."

Little did Helen and Jake know that there was someone listening at the door. Jane had heard Jake's voice and woke up. She pressed her ear against the door trying to understand what her parents were saying. When the word foster care came up, Jane's blue eyes filled with water. She quickly opened the door and ran to her mom and dad.

"You can't let them be taken away mommy. Daria and Trent can't be my friends if they go away."

"Jane sweetie, their parents left them alone. I have to tell the authorities, it's part of my job."

"Then why can't they stay here? Daria and I can share a room. She can draw while I write. I promise we'll do all our homework and help with the chores. Please mommy ... daddy?" Jane's tears were running down her cheeks and onto the floor.

Jake lifted Jane onto the bed. Helen and Jake held her tight against them. Once they could see she was calming down, Helen looked down at her.

"Jane, that would be a big change. We would have to be a little tighter with our money."

"You can cut my allowance. I don't want to lose my friends." Jane's eyes began to fill again.

"Listen kiddo ... your mom and I will need to have a long talk about this. I promise we won't let anything bad happen to Daria and Trent okay?"

Jane nodded, "Okay daddy."

"Good, now I want you to go back into your room and we'll talk in the morning." Jake kissed her cheek.

Jane walked slowly back into her room. Daria was still sound asleep on her bed. Crawling back into bed, Jane wrapped her arm around Daria like a teddy bear. _Please let them stay, please. _Jane closed her eyes.

"Why can't they stay here Helen? There's plenty of room, and we're in good shape financially. Not to mention what it would do to Jane. I could see her heart breaking. Those kids deserve a better life and I know for damn sure we can give it to them."

Helen looked over at Jake. He had made a good argument. Then Helen thought about watching Trent take care of Quinn's knee. How her girls hugged him as they were leaving and their excitement when he returned and then found out that Daria and Trent were staying the whole weekend. _Yeah but one weekend isn't the same as ten years_. Lastly though, visions of Jane's eyes wide with fear and tears filled her mind. She never wanted to see her daughter that upset again.

"Okay Jake ... I'll call my boss in the morning and ask her for advice. Then we'll call social services and go from there."

Jake reached over and kissed her. "I love you Helen."

"I love you too you big softie."

Jane was dreaming about running down the streets of her little neighborhood. As she was about to turn down Grove Street, she saw an old man standing at the bus stop. For some reason he looked familiar but she couldn't understand why. The old man looked over at her and smiled. At first, Jane was going to run away ... but she slowly walked over to him. He knelt down in front of her.

"Hi Jane. Do you remember me?"

"A little, do you live around here?"

"No, we've met before in another dream. How was your first day in school?"

"I met a girl named Daria, she and her brother Trent are spending the night. I'm scared though, 'cause my mom said they may have to go away."

"I see ... did you ask them if Daria and Trent could stay with you?"

Jane nodded. "They told me they would talk about it." A frown came over her face.

"What if I told you they are doing that right now and they've decided to see if Daria and Trent can stay."

"Really? How do you know that?"

"Let's just say I have my sources. I've got to get going, but I'll see you again real soon. You'll love having a new brother and sister Jane."

As Jane began to run back to her house, she waved goodbye to him.

"Thank you ... I don't remember your name."

"Sheridan ... my name is Sheridan."


	4. Chapter 4

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 4)

The next morning, Helen was the first one up and was already on the phone with her boss. Mrs. Nesbitt informed Helen not to do anything until she arrived. Waking Jake out of a sound sleep, Helen informed him of her boss's decision to come over. Both of them quickly showered, dressed and went downstairs. About a half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Rhonda Nesbitt burst through the door, briefcase in hand, wanting details. Helen explained the events of the previous night and everything that Trent had told them in the kitchen. Shaking her head in sadness, Rhonda turned to Helen and Jake.

"We have two options here. We can call child services or we can try to contact their parents and see if they will allow you and Jake to privately adopt Daria and Trent. I really want to see their asses in jail, but I don't want the kids to be in the system either. So I say we try for the latter option first. Why don't you see if you can get Trent to wake up to talk to me. Maybe he has a phone number or at least a name of the commune that his parents are working at."

Helen went upstairs and knocked on the guest bedroom door. A very sleepy Trent stood at the door stretching. Helen asked him to get changed and come downstairs. Trent nodded and closed the door. Five minutes later, Trent was in the kitchen with the three adults. He was scared at first, until he saw the genuine concern in Helen and Jake's faces. Helen introduced Trent to her boss. Rhonda shook his hand and sat down beside him. Explaining to Trent why she was at the house, Rhonda asked if he knew where his parents were. Trent reached into his back pocket and pulled out a beat up wallet. Inside was a name and address for the commune. Calling information, Rhonda was able to get a phone for the Ashfield Art Community. Looking over at the Morgendorffers and Trent, Rhonda asked them to leave the room.

Rhonda whispered in Helen's ear. "I'm not sure how ugly this is going to get. Trent doesn't need to hear what is about to be said. Why don't all of you go upstairs so you can talk to Jane, Quinn and Daria. I'll let you know when the phone call is done."

Helen nodded and asked Jake and Trent to follow her. Jake went into Quinn's room to wake her up as Helen knocked on Jane's door. Daria answered and pointed to a still sleeping Jane. Shaking Jane gently, Helen was finally able to wake the eight year old up. All four kids sat on Jane's bed while Jake pulled up the chair from the desk. Helen knelt down in front of the children.

"Jake and I had a long talk last night about what happened at the commune last night. What Daria and Trent's mommy and daddy did was very, very wrong. Now my boss is on the phone with your parents."

"Aunt Rhonda?" Jane asked.

Helen nodded. "Yes, 'Aunt Rhonda' sweetie. You see, what Daria and Trent's mom and dad did was illegal."

"But I don't want them to go to jail. If they go to jail, we won't be together anymore." Daria was almost in tears.

"That is why my boss is talking to them right now Daria. You see, we want you and Trent to live here with us, but we have to get your parents permission first."

"No more cereal for dinner or sirens late at night?" Daria asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"The only time you will have cereal for dinner is if you want it kiddo." Jake smiled at the eight year old.

"Why are you willing to go through all this trouble? You barely know us?" Trent's face was mixed with anger and hope.

"Trent ... I watched you take care of Quinn yesterday. I know you try your best to take care of Daria, but you're thirteen. You deserve to enjoy the rest of your childhood. Jane and Quinn could use a big brother as good as you."

Looking at his little sister, Trent could see something in her eyes he hadn't seen in months ... happiness. Pondering what Helen was saying, his thoughts were broken by Daria pulling on his shirt. She lowered his ear to her mouth.

"No more sirens Trent, they scare me at night. Jane can even help me with my math. She is really smart and writes funny stories."

"Can I still practice my guitar and will Daria be allowed to paint?"

"We will set you up with music lessons and Daria can paint as long as she cleans up after herself. First though, we have to make sure that it's okay for you and Daria to stay."

"So Trent and Daria are going to be my older brother and sister too?" Quinn asked with widened eyes.

Jake looked over at his youngest. "We hope so Quinn."

Thirty minutes later, Rhonda called from the foot of the stairs. "Helen, Jake ... can you come down here for a minute?"

"We'll be back in a few minutes or we will ask for you to join us downstairs so everybody get dressed."

Helen and Jake's stomachs knotted as they walked downstairs. All of their tension was gone though when they saw the smile on Rhonda's face. Holding the phone in her hand, Rhonda was talking to another attorney. A few minutes later, she hung up the phone.

"I talked to Vincent and Amanda at length. They had already been informed about the bust. Explaining to them that their children might end up in state's custody, they agreed to go along with our adoption idea. I have arranged for them to return to Texas on Wednesday. Sarah Kraft, a friend of mine from law school, specializes in private adoptions. She is working on the paperwork as we speak. Congratulations Helen and Jake ... it looks like you have two new kids and you didn't even have to give birth to them." Rhonda laughed.

Grabbing Helen, Jake spun her around and gave her a big kiss. While Helen thanked Rhonda for her help, Jake went to get the kids. Jane came running downstairs first. Seeing the smiles and tears in her mom and Rhonda's faces, she knew everything would be okay. Tugging on her dad's finger, Quinn sat down on the couch. A couple of minutes later, Trent was walking slowly downstairs with Daria in his arms. Still holding his little sister, Trent joined Jane and Quinn on the couch.

"Daria, Trent ... Rhonda talked to your parents. They said it was okay for you to live here with us. We want to know ... is that okay with you?"

"What about my pictures? Can I bring them here?" Daria asked.

Jake looked at the siblings. "I'll bring Trent back to your old house today. We can pack up anything you want us to bring."

"I just want my pictures, crayons and drawing books." Daria whispered.

"I'll make sure I pack them all."

Daria looked over at Jane and Quinn. Seeing them smiling from ear to ear caused the same to form on her face. "I want to stay here."

"That's the answer we were hoping for. Now we have a lot we have to do over the next couple of days. So, let's get some breakfast and get started." Jake smiled and pointed towards the kitchen.

Daria, Quinn and Trent followed Jake. Staying behind, Jane walked over and hugged Rhonda. Lifting up the eight year old, Rhonda kissed Jane's forehead.

"Thank you Aunt Rhonda," Jane whispered.

Setting the child back down, Rhonda high-fived Jane. "You're welcome. Now go and eat breakfast."

Rhonda and Helen watched Jane run into the kitchen. Hearing the kids cheer over chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, the two women laughed. Rhonda gathered her briefcase and headed for the door. Stopping at the entrance, Rhonda pulled a credit card out of her purse and handed it to Helen. Before Helen could speak, Rhonda stopped her.

"Those kids are going to need clothes, furniture, and more school and art supplies. Not to mention you're going need to buy a lot more groceries. Now don't argue with me. I know this decision is going to put a strain on you and Jake. Consider this a reward for doing the right thing. If you need anything, you just let me know."


	5. Chapter 5

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 5)

Grabbing some empty boxes from the garage, Jake and Trent piled them in the back of Jake's car. While they were gone, Helen began rearranging Jane's room to fit an extra bed. Jane was helping Helen while Daria sat on Jane's bed curled up. Seeing her friend and soon-to-be sister upset, Jane sat down beside her. Daria refused to lift her head up. Helen stopped and joined them.

"What's wrong Daria?"

"I think my mommy and daddy left 'cause they don't love me anymore. I heard them yelling one night. My mommy said that she didn't want me anymore. Daddy was trying to get her calm down, but she kept getting madder. I don't know what I did wrong. I did my chores and always ate my food, even if it was something I didn't like. Then she said she was leaving with or without him. The next day, they told Trent that he would have to take care of me until they came back."

Helen tried to process the information Daria had told her. Wrapping her arms around the small child, Helen kissed the top of Daria's head. "It's going to be okay. Jake and I love you and I know that Jane and Quinn do too. I know this is going to be a big change for you, but whenever you need someone to talk to, you can come to me or Jake."

Lifting her head up, Daria looked at Helen and Jane. As a half-smile came over her face, Daria stretched out. The three of them stood up and finished organizing the room. Quinn came into Jane's room after straightening her own. Helen told the three girls to stay in the room while she made out a grocery list. Jane took her notebook off the shelf and showed Daria one of her stories. Daria began to draw a picture while teaching Quinn the names of the different colors she used. Fascinated by this, Quinn began to ask why Daria picked the color she used.

Helen called for the girls to come downstairs. She loaded them into her car and went shopping. First, for some new clothes for Daria then for groceries. By the time they returned, Jake and Trent were already done unloading the Lane siblings meager belongings. Jake told Helen that Daria's "bed" was a beaten up futon so she would need one. After showing Trent and Daria where everything belonged in the kitchen, Helen left.

Returning home an hour later, Helen laughed at the site before her. Jake and the kids were playing yahtzee. As they neared the end of the game, Helen watched Jane help Daria add up her points. A look of frustration came over Daria's face. _I need to talk to Trent and Ms. Harrison about this_. Once Jane explained to Daria how it was just like the math they did in class, Daria's eyes lit up in understanding. Helen told Daria that her new bed would be at there on Tuesday. Getting up to get ready for bed, Daria gave Helen and Jake a hug.

That night after turning off the lights, Jane fell asleep quickly. She awake a couple of hours later, realizing that Daria wasn't there. Scanning the room, she found Daria sitting in the corner. Walking over to Daria, Jane plopped down on the floor next to her friend.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked.

"I think my parents left because I'm dumb." Daria whispered.

"You're not dumb. You just have some trouble with math. I can help you. I wish I could draw pictures as good as you."

"You write really good stories. Maybe someday when we grow up, you can write a story and I'll draw it." Daria let out a tiny yawn. The two girls headed back to bed.

The rest of the weekend, Jane worked with Daria on her math skills. Quinn would listen in as her sister explained the first chapter of the math book. By Monday afternoon, Daria had a much better understanding of the subject. When they weren't working on math, Daria was teaching them basic art skills. Quinn loved it when Daria began to explain color matching in more detail. Trent began helping Jake prepare meals in the kitchen. One of the things he hated about being left alone with Daria was that he didn't know how to cook.

Tuesday came and Ms. Harrison was surprised to see the Lane siblings in the Morgendorffer's car. Trent and Jake waved at the girls as they drove away. Later during the math lesson, Ms. Harrison kept a close eye on Daria. Watching Daria immediately begin the worksheet made the young teacher smile_. Jane must be working with her, I'll have to talk to their parents about setting up after-school tutoring.  
_  
Helen was going over a new case file in her office and it was an important one. The firm was representing three families who were in major wrecks after their brakes had been repaired at the same place. Receiving the file just hours earlier, Helen had already began making notes when Rhonda burst through her door. The sudden crash of the door caused Helen to jump in her chair.

"Helen, I just got off the phone with Sarah. The Lanes are at her office and want to talk to you and Jake."


	6. Chapter 6

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 6)  
  
As Helen was leaving the office, Rhonda called Jake to let him know about the meeting. After quickly rescheduling his appointments for the day, Jake drove to the address Rhonda gave him. Arriving first, Jake waited nervously in the parking lot for Helen. Spotting her husband of fifteen years, Helen parked in a space near his. Giving each other a quick kiss, they walked towards the office of Sarah Kraft hand in hand.

Sarah's secretary greeted them and paged Sarah in her office. A few moments later, a short stocky woman in her mid-forties opened the door. Sarah led them to a second office and closed the door behind her. Helen and Jake sat in front of her desk. Sarah reached out her hand to shake theirs.

"Helen, Rhonda is constantly bragging about the wonderful job you've been doing. Good luck with that upcoming William's Body Shop case. And you must be Jake. How is the consulting business going?"

"I'm just getting established but I've got a pretty client base going."

"I will keep you in mind the next time I decide to do some advertising. As Rhonda informed you, the Lanes came a day early. They are in the other office. I know the four of you have never met and I expect this to be civil. No throwing things or getting in a fist fight. What happens behind these doors must stay behind them. Now the children involved are aware of what is going on today correct?"

"Yes. We told Daria and Trent this past weekend. The only part they don't know is that their parents arrived early. Do the Lanes wish to see them?"

"Mr. Lane did at first but relented to his wife's wishes. Let's go over to the other office so we can get the paperwork signed. I need to ask you ... are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this? My number one concern is for the children involved. Will you be able to provide them a stable homelife and support?"

"Yes, yes we can." Jake said with a face full of pride.

"Okay, let's get these proceedings underway." Sarah stood up and led the Morgendorffers into her other office.

As the door opened, Helen and Jake looked over at the two other people in the room. Vincent was short and had jet black hair like Daria. Amanda was taller with blonde curly hair. Vincent looked tired and ashamed while Amanda appeared anxious, as if ready for everything to be done and over with. After studying the two older Lanes, Helen realized her chances of getting any under the surface answers were slim to none and slim was already grabbing his jacket. The silence in the room was broken by a tape recorder hitting the table.

"The reason why I pulled out the tape recorder is so that no one can question the validity of the adoption. So I must ask, is everyone in this room okay with me taping this meeting?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Pressing the record button, Sarah began explaining what would happen.

"I want everyone to state their names clearly into the recorder. I am Sarah Kraft and I am an attorney who specializes in private adoptions. In the room with me are ... "

"Vincent Lane."

"Amanda Lane."

"Helen Morgendorffer."

"Jake Morgendorffer."

"An agreement has been reached by the Lanes to give custody of a Trent Lane age thirteen and Daria Lane age eight to the Morgendorffers. Mr. Lane ... is this statement correct?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Morgendorffer ... is this statement correct?"

"Yes."

"How was this agreement arranged? Mr. Lane ..."

"I was contacted Saturday morning by Mrs. Morgendorffer's employer, Rhonda Nesbitt. The suggestion that we allow the Morgendorffers to adopt Daria and Trent was her idea."

"Do you agree with this statement Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer?"

"Yes."

"Good. Mr. Lane, it is my understanding that you have in your possession Daria and Trent's birth certificates and social security cards. Is this correct?"

Handing the manilla envelope to Sarah, Vincent eyes start to water. Sarah reads over the material given to her carefully. She passes the file over to Helen.

"You used a mid-wife and gave birth at the commune?" Helen's voice raised in suspicion.

"All five of the children were born at the commune. Jessica is one of the best mid-wives in the state. Jessica also assisted with my grandson's birth." Amanda stated with tension in her voice.

After almost an hour of going over the finer points of the contract, Sarah sat the agreement down. "It is at this point that I am going to page my secretary to come in and witness the signing of the paperwork." Sarah pressed a button on her phone. "Teresa, can you come in here for a moment ... thanks."

Teresa walked into the room and stood between the two sets of parents. Sarah gave the form to Vincent and Amanda first. "This paper states that you have willingly agreed to give custody of Daria and Trent over to the Morgendorffers. It also states that no money exchanged hands and that you were not coerced by anyone associated with this office to do so."

Amanda quickly signed and initialed everywhere Sarah told her. Vincent stared at the paper for several moments. Lowering his head, he slowly signed the form and dropped the pen. Placing the form in front of Helen, Sarah watched as the Morgendorffers read over every word carefully. After nodding in agreement, Helen and Jake placed their signatures on the dotted lines. Teresa's signature and initials sealed the agreement. Sarah turned off the tape recorder.

"I will file this with the state first thing tomorrow morning. I am going to give you four a few minutes, remember what I told all of you before this meeting began. Good day." Sarah shook all of their hands one last time then left.

Silence hung in the room like fog rolling off of a steep mountainside. After several tense moments, Vincent walked over to Helen and Jake. Taking a moment to compose himself, Vincent closed his eyes before speaking.

"I didn't want to leave Trent alone with Daria, but Ashfield is an adult only art community. I would have sent Daria and Trent to stay with their Aunt Bernice but we had a falling out shortly after Daria was born. Several of the other couples in the commune told us they would keep an eye on Trent and Daria while we were away. I would come home for a day at a time to check on them and to register them for school. I thought Trent was doing a good job."

Fires burned in Jake's eyes. "A good job? The boy is thirteen! It wasn't his job to begin with ... it was yours! You're their parents damnit! You had to have known about all the drugs in that god forsaken hellhole. That place was a ticking time bomb and you left two little kids in the blastzone. Don't you two realize what would have happened to them if they had been home that night? They would have been torn apart from each other and your asses would be sitting in a jail cell right now. Now I am only going to tell you this once and once only. Don't try to make any contact with Daria or Trent until they are over eighteen. Once they are adults and wish to have some type of relationship with you, it will be their choice - not yours." Jake went to stand up but Helen put her arms around him.

"Don't worry ... I won't be wanting a relationship with her." Amanda stood up and left the room.

Taking one last look at the Morgendorffers, Vincent walked out of the office.  
Still wrapped in Helen's arms, Jake tried to calm down. Turning to his wife, Jake could see the anger in her eyes as well. Helen replayed Amanda's last words over and over again in her mind.

"I don't understand Helen. How could they leave their children to be raised by a bunch of stoner painters and sculptors? Those kids needed them and they just left them. It's not fair, I should have let you call social services."

"Jake ... we did the right thing for Daria and Trent's sake. The Lanes are going to have to live with what they did for the rest of their lives. All I know is when we walk out of this room, the anger has to stay here. As much as I would have loved to cram my briefcase so far Amanda's ass that she'd be choking on leather until she was eighty, I knew I couldn't. Now, let's leave here and go pick up our children from school." Helen kissed Jake on the cheek.

As they approached their cars, Jake turned to Helen. "You don't think the Lanes will change their minds and cancel the adoption?"

Helen's eyes narrowed. "I dare them to try."


	7. Chapter 7

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 7)

(legal stuff: "All You Need Is Love" is property of The Beatles)

Ms. Harrison led her class outside after the bell rang. As Daria, Jane and Quinn walked towards Mr. Morgendorffer's car, she followed him. Knocking on the passenger window, Ms. Harrison asked if he or Mrs. Morgendorffer would call her later. She also wanted to know if he could pass the message to Mr. and Mrs. Lane as well. Jake informed the teacher that Daria was living with them and he would have Helen contact her. As the car drove away, Ms. Harrison began to wonder about what happened.

Jake listened as the girls talked about their day. Quinn was smiling brightly as she told Daria that her friends liked how she was able to tell them what shade of pink they were wearing. Daria gave a slight laugh. After picking up Trent, Jake brought the group home. After showing Daria her new bed, Helen and Jake sat the kids down.

"Daria ... Trent - we met your parents today."

"Really? Where? Are they coming by to see us?" Trent perked up.

"They came down a day early for us to go ahead and complete the adoption paperwork. It won't be finalized until we go in front of a judge in two months."

"So that makes you my mom and dad?" Daria asked.

"Yes sweetie. If you want to call us that." Helen smiled.

Daria ran up to them and hugged them. Daria, Jane and Quinn left the living room so that Daria could show off her new furniture. Trent stayed, looking intensely at Helen and Jake.

"Are they going to at least come over and say goodbye?" Trent's voice broke.

Jake lowered and shook his head. Trent fell back on the couch and buried his head in his hands. After a couple of minutes, Trent composed himself and stared at the Morgendorffers.

"I feel uncomfortable calling you mom and dad. I know my parents sucked, but they are well were still my parents. Would you be upset if I called you Mr. and Mrs. M?"

"You're thirteen, if you want to call us that ... it's okay. I'm sorry that Vincent and Amanda didn't want to see you." Jake replied.

Trent stood up. "I'll be alright Mr. M. I'm gonna head to my room for a little bit." Trent walked out of the living room.

Trent entered his bedroom and closed the door. Looking around at the meager belongings he brought with him, Trent began to cry. He hated crying but he had found himself doing it a lot over the course of the summer. These tears weren't from despair, they were of anger. _Why didn't mom and dad want to see us? We weren't the ones that left me to take care of us! How could they just walk away like that? Will I ever get to see Penny, Summer or Wind again? _Balling his hand into a fist, he began hitting his mattress.

Daria stepped out of her room to go to the bathroom when she heard a pounding noise coming from Trent's room. She knocked on his door and waited a moment. She rapped a second time, but was a little louder than the first. By this time, Jane and Quinn had joined Daria in the hallway. Worrying about her brother, Daria opened the door. She watched her brother as he continued to use his mattress as a punching bag. She ran up to him and grabbed his arm. He almost jerked Daria into the air until he realized she was holding onto him and stopped. He scooped his little sister up into a hug tears still flowing down his face.

Daria wrapped her tiny arms around him. "Don't cry Tee. I love you. You want to stay here with me right? I thought you liked it here too."

"I love you too Dee and you're right ... I do like it here. I just mom and dad would have taken better care of us."

"But you live here now with us so our mommy and daddy can take of you. I want you to stay here. You're really good at fixing up boo-boos." Quinn walked over to him and embraced him.

"And if you weren't here, who would play all those funny songs for us on the guitar or play video games with us?" Jane joined her two sisters as all three wrapped Trent into a bear hug.

Trent looked down at the three girls and smiled. Freeing his arms from the embrace, Trent hugged them back. After a moment, he kissed each of them on the forehead.

"I love all three of you and I promise that I will never get mad like that again unless someone is trying to hurt any of you okay?"

The three girls let him go and nodded. Jane and Quinn left the bedroom. Daria stretched out her hand. Trent took it as his little sister led him to go eat dinner.

After dinner, Helen called Ms. Harrison. They arranged for Daria to take a math skills test the next day. Mrs. Morgendorffer then explained the events of the weekend and the adoption. Ms. Harrison had read about the bust at the commune in the paper and worried about Daria the entire weekend. After hanging up the phone, a wide smile came over Ms. Harrison's face. Jane's former teachers told her about Jane's anti-social behavior. Now that Daria would be a permanent fixture in Jane's life, maybe she would become a little more outgoing. Walking over to her stereo, Ms. Harrison switched out CDs. While she read the latest Jill Churchill novel, she began humming to the song that was playing in the background.

_All you need is love (all together now),  
All you need is love (everybody),  
All you need is love, love  
Love is all you need._


	8. Chapter 8

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 8 )  
  
The next couple of months went by quickly for the Morgendorffer clan. Jake and Jane practiced math with Daria for a forty-five minutes a day. Daria's math skills had improved from a first grade level to a second grade level in the short time since she moved in with the Morgendorffers. This still put her behind her class but she was steadily improving. Trent started taking guitar lessons twice a week and a "band" practice every Saturday morning with some of the other students. Quinn spent most of her time in her sisters' room as they wrote and drew.

Halloween came and Jane and Quinn couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating. Daria didn't understand what the excitement was about. She had never dressed up for Halloween before. Helen took the three girls to go look at costumes. Jane convinced Daria to dress up like Velma to her Scooby-Doo while Quinn dressed up like Daphne. Trent walked them around the neighborhood. When they returned home, they dumped all the candy into a large bowl and separated it by their favorites. Two weeks later, the candy was still being nibbled on.

A week before Thanksgiving, Helen and Jake received a notice from family court requesting their presence the following Monday to finalize the adoption. Helen called her mother and Rita to tell them the good news. Then, she phoned Amy to see if she could come down and stay a few days. Helen and Jake needed someone to watch the children while they were in court. Amy agreed with a touch of sadness in her voice. After the call ended, Amy hung her head and cried for hours.

That night, Jane walked into the kitchen and heard her parents talking about their upcoming day in court. Jake asked Helen if there was a chance that the Lanes could change their minds. Helen shrugged at the thought. Amanda and Vincent had zero contact with them since that day in Sarah's office. Jane grabbed her drink and went back into the bedroom. Daria was reading _The Hound of the Baskervilles _and doodling. Jane's mind thought about what her parents had said. A few minutes later, Helen informed the girls that lights out was in five minutes. Closing the book, Daria stood up and flipped the switch.

Jane stared up at the ceiling until she drifted asleep. She began dreaming of Daria and Trent being forced to leave her house. Waking up in tears, Jane padded over to Daria's bed. Looking up at her slightly older sister, Daria slid over to make room for Jane. At a closer glance, Daria could tell Jane had been crying. Daria took Jane's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Daria whispered.

Jane nodded. Daria hugged her before falling back asleep. Jane closed her eyes, hoping that her dreams would be nicer. An image of her favorite building; the library, filled Jane's head. While walking around the aisles, Jane spotted a familiar face sitting in one of the chairs reading. Setting down his book, the old man stared at her and smiled. He signaled for her to join him at the table.

"Hi Jane ... it's good to see you again. How are you doing?" He spoke barely above a whisper.

"Hello ... Sheridan?" The old man nodded. Jane continued, "I'm doing okay. I had a really bad dream earlier."

"Worried about Daria and Trent leaving you?"

"Yes" Jane slumped.

"Don't. Everything will be just fine. Trent and Daria are your brother and sister now. They aren't going any where, I promise you. Remember when we met a couple of months ago? I told you that your parents were going to take Daria and Trent in. So believe me when I say that come Tuesday, they will still be with you, Quinn and your parents."

A look of relief came over Jane's face. "Thank you Sheridan."

"Any time. I need to go Jane, but don't worry. I'll be back to check on you from time to time. Oh, your Aunt Amy is coming to visit so make sure you give her a big hug okay?" Jane nodded. "Good, I'll see you later." The old man left.

Jane picked up the book the old man was reading and laughed. _The Hound of the Baskervilles must be a pretty good book_. Opening the well worn book, she flipped past the notes in the front. Jane spent the rest of the dream reading with a huge smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 9)

Helen picked Amy up at the airport Sunday morning. Amy tried to convince Helen to let her get a hotel room but "her favorite niece" wanted Amy to stay with them. Trent agreed to sleep on the couch the next few days so Amy could use his room. Pulling into the driveway, the two women were met by a very excited little girl. She was sitting beside her older brother on the porch. The moment the engine was turned off, the child ran up to the car's passenger side. Amy stood up and wrapped the girl in a warm hug.

"There's my favorite niece. How's school going Jane?"

"I made all A's on my first report card. I really like Ms. Harrison. She lets me read some of the older kids books when we go to the library." Jane grabbed her aunt's hand. "Come on, you have to meet Trent and Daria."

A lump formed in Amy's throat. She barely was able to form the word "Okay."

Trent stared at the woman walking towards him. She reminded him of his little sister. Jane stopped at the foot of the porch.

"Aunt Amy ... this is our big brother Trent."

Amy forced a smile onto her face as she stuck out her hand. "Hello Trent ... it is very nice to meet you. Helen told me that you've been a great help with Jane and Quinn."

Trent shook her hand. "Thanks. Jane's been talking about you coming all day. It's good to finally get to meet you."

Helen led the group inside the house. Quinn came running downstairs and jumped into Amy's arms. Amy spun her around before gently sitting the red head on the couch. With a cup of coffee in his hand, Jake waved at Amy as he headed out of the kitchen. As the three adults sat in living room, Jane went upstairs to get Daria. Helen began to explain to Amy and Jake about what would happen in front of the judge on Monday. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Amy turned around and felt her heart skip a beat.

Standing on the last stair was a little girl with jet black hair and round glasses - _her_ little girl. No one in the room except for Amy knew that fact, including the child herself or her older brother. Amanda and Vincent sent him to his Aunt Bernice during that time. The only thing he knew was when he came home, he had a little sister. Holding her daughter's hand was her favorite niece with a huge smile on her face. Amy steadied herself before kneeling in front of the two. A tinge of sadness covered Amy's face as Daria edged closer to Jane.

"It's okay Daria. Amy's the best aunt on the planet." Jane whispered.

Amy's thoughts flowed as she studied the scared girl in front of her. _The best aunt or the worst mother. Damnit ... I thought she would be in good hands with Vincent and Amanda. They had four other children. I can't believe they just abandoned her like that. Don't think about that now. Tonight, yes. Right now, I have to put on my happy face before I frighten my daughter off for good_. Amy gave a slight grin and drew in a calming breath before speaking.

"Well ... I see I have another niece to spoil and corrupt. Hi there Daria, I'm Aunt Amy. Helen told me you like to draw. You must show some of your pictures later okay?"

Daria nodded as she hesitantly stepped down to the living room floor. "Do you like to play video games?"

"Yes ... but I'm not that good. Maybe you and Jane could teach me some pointers later. Right now, I want to talk with my big sister."

"Okay Amy. Jane and I are going to go outside and ride bikes with Quinn."

Jake looked over at Helen. "I'll go sit on the porch with Trent to watch them. Amy - thanks again for coming out on short notice. You are staying with us for Thanksgiving right? This year we have a lot to be thankful for."

Several hours later, Daria and Jane got ready for bed. Amy waited several minutes after their lights had been turned off before walking into their room. Amy looked over at her niece sleeping peacefully. Then she saw Daria curled up into a tiny ball with a death grip on her blanket. Amy wanted to reach out for her daughter, but was afraid to scare the girl. Waves of regret crashed against Amy's tired soul. As the sadness washed over her, Amy quickly left the room and barely made it to her room before collapsing on the bed in tears.


	10. Chapter 10

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 10 )

Monday morning was a hectic one for the Morgendorffer clan. As Helen and Jake got ready for their court appearance, Amy struggled to keep her emotions in check. Sarah called shortly after everyone got up. She informed Helen that Daria and Trent should attend in case the judge has any questions or if any issues should arise. Helen made everyone get dressed to go down to the courthouse. Amy could feel her stomach tighten and the acid begin to rise. Trent stayed emotionless while Daria was scared. She stay curled in a ball on her bed until Jake came in and carried her out. Watching this brought tears to Amy's eyes. Amy volunteered to have Quinn ride with her to the courthouse.

As they exited the car, Daria had a death grip on Trent and Jane's hands. Jane was scared too. For the first time in months, Jane had to face the fact that Daria and Trent might have to move. Then she remembered what Sheridan told her in her dream. Her grip around Daria's hand tightened as she stood straighter. Drawing strength from Jane, Daria looked up at the courthouse door they stood in front of and fixed her skirt. Quinn wrapped her hands around Trent's arm. Walking into the courthouse together, the Morgendorffer children followed their parents with Amy right behind.

Sarah met them in the corridor and led them to a tiny office. Introducing herself to Amy and the children, Sarah proceeded to explain what would be happening in the next few minutes. Amy and the kids would sit in the room while Helen and Jake went into the adjacent courtroom. If the kids were needed, Sarah would come back to get them. Trent asked where his parents were and if he could see them. The lawyer said they were in a seperate room waiting for the judge to call their case. As for seeing them, sadly that would be up to Vincent and Amanda. Amy's heart sank as she watched the look off despair fall over Trent's face. Jane and Daria hugged their big brother. Sarah stepped out of the room to check on the Lanes.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Helen and Jake gave Daria and Trent a hug before walking into the courtroom. As they walked out of the room, Daria sat with her hands wrapped around her knees. Trent and Jane tried to calm her down, but it didn't work. Amy looked over at her frightened daughter. _I have to do something. Maybe I can be a mother for her, even if it is just for a few minutes_. Amy stood up and walked over to the couch where the kids were sitting. Jane jumped onto Trent's lap to make room for her aunt. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around Daria and lifted the tiny girl onto her lap. Slowly, Daria began to calm down and closed her eyes. Soon, she was asleep in Amy's lap. Holding her daughter gently, Amy stroked Daria's long hair. An hour later, Helen and Jake reentered the room. The closing door caused Daria to wake up. Jake knelt down in front of the couch.

"Are you are daddy and mommy now?" Daria looked at him and Helen.

"Yes, Daria. We are officially your mom and dad now. Is that okay with you?" Jake asked.

Daria nodded. Jake looked over at Trent. He gave a slight smile and nodded as well. Everyone stood up to leave. Helen turned to Trent.

"Vincent said that he would like to see you if you wanted to."

"What about Daria?" Trent asked

Helen shook her head. Trent thought for a moment. His gaze shifted to Daria. His eyes narrowed as his head lifted up.

"No. If he doesn't want to say goodbye to both of us, then I have nothing to say to him." Trent walked out of the room holding Daria's hand in his.

As they drove home, Amy listened to Quinn say how happy she was that Daria and Trent were now her brother and sister. Looking in the rear view mirror, Amy flashed a slight smile at her niece. After arriving home, Helen and Jake celebrated by ordering pizza. Amy went upstairs to Trent's room and sat on the bed. About fifteen minutes later, Jane knocked on the door. Amy opened it and was immediately engulfed by a pair of small, slender arms.

"Thank you for taking care of Daria today. She said you made her feel better. I think you you are going to be her favorite aunt too. Mom wanted you to come downstairs. The pizza's here."

Later that evening, Helen and Amy sat alone in the living room while Jake read Quinn a bedtime story. Amy looked over at her sister. She had never seen Helen so happy in her life. Amy sipped on her coffee while Helen told her about what had occurred in the courtroom. Then her older sister talked about her long term dreams for her family. Carefully carrying a piece of paper, Jake joined them a few minutes later. Helen playfully gave him a hard time when he said that Daria and Jane had milked him for ten more minutes of time before lights out so that Daria could finish a drawing she had started when they got home. He lifted the picture he had in his hands and showed it to Helen and Amy. It was a picture of all of them; including Amy, standing side-by-side holding hands. Helen got a little teary eyed as she went into the kitchen and attached the picture to the refrigerator Amy went up to her room. As she got dressed for bed, she took off the shirt she was wearing and lifted it to her face. A slight scent of Daria's strawberry shampoo was on it. Amy fell asleep that night clutching the shirt to her chest.


	11. Chapter 11

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 11)

Jane woke up Thanksgiving morning to the smell of turkey roasting in the oven. She looked over at Daria, who was still sound asleep. Running into the room at full speed was Quinn, who began jumping up and down. Daria slowly opened her eyes and felt around for her glasses. Jane grabbed and slid them onto her new sister's face. The three went downstairs and began laughing. Aunt Amy and Jake had Trent wearing an apron and a funny shaped hat. They were teaching him some of the basics of cooking. His face had a light dusting of flour on it. Amy stopped the lesson long enough to fix the three little girls some breakfast. Helen joined them a few minutes later.

Jane and Quinn set the table while Daria folded the napkins into animal shapes. After they were through, the girls went into the living room to watch some of the holiday cartoons that were on. Once "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was over, Jane flipped through the stations. She came across a cartoon version of "A Christmas Carol" that was extremely bad. It was so bad that Quinn went into the kitchen to see if she could help. Jane became fascinated with the movie as well as Daria. Soon, they were making snide remarks about how poorly the film was made. Amy walked into the living room and listened to the two eight year olds. Amazed at how much older the two children sounded, Amy had to agree with them about the quality of the cartoon in front of them. Forgetting why she had came into the room, Amy joined the girls and started adding comments of her own. A few minutes later, a frustrated Helen yelled for everyone to come into the dining room. Quinn came back downstairs while Jane and Daria began to laugh as Amy slumped into the sofa and blushed.

Jane smirked when she saw the look of Daria's face as she stared at the dinner table. Everyone enjoyed the meal while they talked about Christmas. Amy asked Daria if there was something special she wanted Santa Claus to bring her. Amy's heart sank at Daria's silence. Daria finally told her that all she wanted was what she got from Trent every year ... some new sketch books and colored pencils. After dinner, Daria and Jane cleaned the dishes while Helen and Amy stored the leftovers in the fridge. Jake and Trent were in the living room watching a football game.

As the three girls played video games in Jane's room, Amy came in and told them they were going with her to mall to pick out presents for Helen and Jake. Jane loved her yearly shopping trip with her favorite Aunt. Every year, she and Quinn would point things out that they wanted and the items were always waiting to be opened on Christmas Day. This year, Jane decided to ask for less than years past. Santa had two new people he needed to deliver to and didn't want him to skip over Daria and Trent like he had done before. A couple of hours later, Jake came in, turned off their light and kissed them goodnight. Daria fell asleep quickly. Jane was too excited to fall asleep. She grabbed her flashlight and the book she had begun reading and stayed awake for another hour.

The next morning, Amy loaded up the three girls into Helen's minivan and took off. Quinn talked non-stop about some of the toys she had seen on the television that she was going to ask Santa Claus to bring her. Staring at Quinn through the rear view mirror, Amy couldn't help but smile. As they walked around the stores, Jane looked at some of the toys and books as Amy made some mental notes. Stopping in front of a clothing store, Jane saw a mannequin wearing a black shirt with a red jacket. She stared at the garments for several minutes. Amy jotted down the name of the store.

After getting Helen and Jake's presents, the group entered the arts and crafts store. The store had set up a pottery wheel in the front area by the checkouts. Daria stared at it and ran out of the shop. Amy, Jane, and Qunn rushed out of the store and joined her. Amy asked the young girl what was wrong. Daria told her that her real mother made pottery. Then in more anger than an eight year old should have, Daria voice grew cold.

"If I never see another kiln again, it would be too soon."


	12. Chapter 12

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 12)

Jane counted down the days until Christmas vacation started. Until that year, she used to hate not going to school for two weeks. This year was different. She had someone who liked the same things as her to enjoy the time with. Ms. Harrison had them make Christmas cards to their parents. Jane stared down at the blank sheet of paper sitting in front of Daria. Jane wasn't the only one who noticed that Daria hadn't started the project. Ms. Harrison knelt beside the bespectacled girl and told her she could make the card for someone else. Daria nodded and began to draw a picture of guitar and notes. Inside the card, Daria wrote a little note, signed it, and placed it in an envelope. On the envelope, in the best handwriting she could muster, Daria wrote one word ... Trent.

When the school bell rang signaling the beginning of Christmas vacation, all the students ran out the door ... except for Daria and Jane. They walked up to the teacher and handed a present. She carefully opened it to find a report folder. Inside was one of Jane's short stories followed by a couple of pictures Daria had made from it. The story was about her as a super hero. She gave a little laugh and thanked them for the gift. She walked with them outside and watched as they got into Mr. Morgendorffer's car.

When they arrived home, Jane and Daria ran up to their room. Helen and Jake gave them one hour to play before they had to get ready to go to Trent's recital. They turned on the little television that was in their room and began playing video games. Quinn came into their room a few minutes later, watching as her two older sisters as they focused on the game. Daria offered Quinn her controller and let her play the next level. Daria left the room and knocked on Trent's door. As the door opened, Trent looked down to see his little sister smiling at him. He bent down so they could be face to face.

"Good luck tonight Tee. I know you're going to do great."

"Thanks Dee. I'll be looking out for you in the audience. It's a small building so I should have no problems seeing you." Trent gave a slight grin. "I have to finish getting ready." Trent reached over and hugged his little sister.

Walking up the stairs, Helen laughed when all three girls came bounding out of Jane's room ready to go. Jake and Trent were waiting in the car. During the drive to music class, Trent tried to hide his nervousness. Quinn grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze. Trent looked down at his now youngest sister and felt his confidence return. When they arrived at the studio, Trent grabbed his guitar and went inside. Helen and Jake led the three girls to the small auditorium that was attached to the music center. They were surprised to see Rhonda waiting for them near the front, waving for them to join her.

"I figured the girls would want to be able to see their big brother play, so I got here a little early and got the good seats." Rhonda said as she moved so Jake and Helen could sit in the middle.

"Thanks Aunt Rhonda," Jane said as she sat down next to her mother's boss.

Trent was performing three pieces that evening. The first was an acoustical guitar solo, then after intermission, he and a couple of his friends would be performing together for two songs. Jake took out his camcorder and started playing with the buttons. After a few frustrated minutes, he handed over the video equipment to Jane. She pressed a couple of buttons and handed it back to her father. Rhonda couldn't help but laugh at the smirk on the blue-eyed girl's face. Rhonda and the three girls talked about what they wanted for Christmas until the lights began to dim.

Trent waited backstage for the three acts ahead of him. His mind began to drift about the past six months of his life. He was snapped back into the present when he heard his music teacher call out his name over the microphone. Trent walked out onto the stage to see his family, front and center, waving at him. He plugged in his Martin acoustic and began playing. He closed his eyes while his fingers moved across the fret board in an intricate dance. Helen and Jake watched with pride in their eyes. Five minutes later, Trent strummed the last notes. He opened his eyes to see the five people who mattered most to him, standing up and applauding. Taking a small bow, he ambled off the stage with a content smile over his face.

The darkness of the auditorium hid another face who watched the young man on stage. Waves of sadness and regret came over the man as he listened to the melody pouring out of the teenager's instrument. As intermission began, the blue-eyed, black haired man stared as the tall thirteen year old was met with by a flurry of hugs. The man then gazed as the boy picked up his little sister and twirled her around. The man could feel the tears forming as the sound of the auburn haired girl's laughter echoed throughout the room. As a rush of people headed for the lobby, the man stood up and blended into the crowd, his presence never known. As he left the small auditorium, a gentle rain hid his tears as he walked to his car and drove away.


	13. Chapter 13

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 13)

Christmas Eve arrived with Daria, Jane, and Quinn watching Christmas specials. Helen, Jake, and Trent joined them for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Daria and Trent joked about how they had a tree one year that made the one Charlie Brown picked look good. Trent then began to tell stories of Christmastime at the Lanes' house. Jane and Quinn listened to teenager as he described one Christmas right before Daria was born in which Wind came home plastered and decided to try to cook a ham in Amanda's kiln. After the story ended, everyone went into the kitchen so they could make cookies for Santa.

That night, Helen and Jake checked the girls' rooms and weren't surprised to see the three asleep on Jane's bed. Jake wrapped his arm around Helen as they snuck out of the room. Once downstairs, Jake set himself to the task of bringing all of the Christmas presents in from the garage. Helen arranged the gifts around the tree. An hour later with their job done, Helen and Jake sat on the couch eating the snicker doodles the girls had made. They sat quietly, leaning against each other, watching the lights on the tree blink on and off. Both thought about how the past four months had completely changed their lives. Helen looked up at the clock. It was almost midnight. Jake and Helen headed upstairs for a few hours of sleep.

Quinn was awake at five a.m. Crawling out of Jane's bed, Quinn tiptoed out of the room and went downstairs. Seeing all the presents under the tree, Quinn ran back up to her sisters' room and dove back onto Jane's bed. Jane rubbed her eyes and looked at her sister with eyebrow raised.

"Santa came Jane! Santa came!" Quinn began shaking Daria until she was greeted by two auburn eyes struggling to open. "Come on, Daria! Santa came!"

Quinn grabbed both of her sisters' hands and tried to drag them off the bed. Jane picked Daria's glasses from the nightstand and placed them on the shorter girl's face. Daria flashed a half-smile as the three sisters bounded down the stairs. Hearing the commotion, Trent woke up and decided to check on the three sets of footsteps he had heard. Trent sat on the last step and listened as the three girls talked about all of the presents under the tree. His location was given away when he had to sneeze. Quinn ran up to him and pointed out the missing cookies and the thank you note.

"Can we open our presents now?" Quinn asked.

"I think you should wait til your mom and dad are awake." Trent answered.

Quinn ran by him and up the stairs. A few minutes later, Helen and Jake trudged down the steps. They gave each of the kids a kiss on the cheek before sitting down on the couch. Jake changed out tapes in the camcorder and set it up to capture the insanity on film. Soon, the paper was flying everywhere as Jake passed out presents. The kids took a few minutes to inspect each toy and read the back of the video game cases. Helen and Jake laughed when Trent carried his new amplifier up to his room like a baby and Daria froze in place when she saw her new drawing table.

Jane was handed a box that was from Aunt Amy. Inside were the red jacket and black shirt and pants she had seen when they had gone shopping and some black boots. Also inside was a gift certificate for her favorite bookstore. Years later, Jane still considered this her first adult gift. Amy had also sent a box for Quinn and Daria. Quinn's box had a create your own nail polish maker and a stuffed unicorn. Daria's box had a green jacket, orange shirt, and pants and boots that matched Jane's. Also inside were a card and a check for Trent. Jane asked if she could call Amy to thank her. Helen agreed but only after the living room was cleaned up.

The kids quickly cleaned up all of the paper and tape that were covering the floor. Trent helped the girls carry their gifts up to their rooms and then began the task of putting together Daria's table. Jane went downstairs and called her favorite aunt and thanked her for her presents. Daria, Quinn, and Trent thanked her as well. After they hung up the phone, the girls went upstairs to test out some of their new games until dinner was ready. After dinner, they watched Trent's recital then ran upstairs before getting ready for bed. That night, Jane looked at all of the stuff she had been given and then over to a now very asleep Daria. She padded over to her window and stared out into the cold December sky and realized that the one gift she had always wanted for Christmas came four months early, a friend.


	14. Chapter 14

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 14)

After Christmas break, time seemed to fly by. Jane's birthday was in April. They celebrated it by going to play miniature golf. Trent even won them a free game when he made a hole in one on the final hole. Jane continued helping Daria with her math and by the end of the school year, she was at grade level. Ms. Harrison hated watching her two favorite students walk out of her door for the last time when the final bell rang. Before leaving, Jane gave her one last story and Daria handed her a couple more drawings. Both girls hugged the teacher then left to go find their little sister.

Daria's birthday was a week after school ended. Jane, Quinn and Trent wanted to make her a birthday cake instead of buying one. Helen arrived home early to find the kitchen covered in cake batter while Jake and the three "chefs" were trying to clean it up. Sitting at the table was Daria, who was trying to draw the scene as best she could between fits of laughter. Almost two hours later, Helen and Jake took the kids to Pizza Forest for dinner. Quinn loved listening to the singers while Jane and Daria made comments to each other back and forth. Finding out that Daria had a knack for claw machines, the girls left with their arms full of new stuffed animals and toys.

Jane and Daria spent a lot of time during that summer at the library. Ms. Harrison had given Jane a list of sixth grade level stories for her to read. Jane would pick one a week to check out while Daria looked the art books. Jane loved the fact that she could talk to Daria about the book she was reading and Daria for the most part, understood what she was saying. Quinn spent a lot of her summer in her sister's room or playing with the two girls who lived across the street. All three girls loved Wednesday nights because that was when Trent would practice his guitar in the garage with a few of his friends. He and his friends talked a lot about starting high school in August. Daria, Jane and Quinn wondered what it was going to be like for them once they were in ninth grade.

Right before school started, the library held a drawing and writing contest. The first and second place stories and drawings from each age group would be displayed for the entire school year. Jane won best story for an elementary student and Daria placed second for her drawing based on Jane's story. Helen and Jake were proud of their two little girls. Quinn brought her friends with her to show off what her sisters had done. After each recieved a trophy for their work, Ms. Harrison walked up to them and congratulated them. She also informed Helen that she would be Quinn's teacher this coming school year.

Two nights before school started, Daria and Jane were sitting in their room. Jane was excited while Daria looked upset. Jane went over and asked her sister about why she was sad. She pointed at the calendar. Jane pushed for an explanation. Daria told her that it was a year ago that day that she last saw her real dad. Jane wrapped the smaller girl in a hug and held her until she fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 15)

Fourth grade at Highland Elementary meant being able to choose between being in chorus or playing a stringed instrument. Jane was never big on singing, so she choose the instrument. The first day of school, all of the fourth grade parents were asked to go to the cafeteria to attend the music class. After Helen and Jake talked to Mrs. Gentry; the music teacher, it was decided that Jane should try to learn the cello. Jane looked at the instrument and then back to the teacher in dismay. Mrs. Gentry had her sit down and placed the cello in front of her. Handing the bow over to Jane, the teacher placed her hand over Jane's and ran the bow over the strings. The sound was deep, mellow, and hauntingly beautiful. A large smile came over her face. Jake would by Hawthorne Music that afternoon to rent a cello so that Jane could practice at home.

Daria, much to Helen and Jake's surprise, chose chorus. On the other side of the cafeteria was Mr. Keller the chorus teacher. He had every student who signed up for the class sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" so he could find their vocal range. He went down the list in alphabetical order. About halfway through the class, the parents in the cafeteria turned when they heard a simple yet powerful voice come from the chorus class. Jake looked around and tapped Helen on the shoulder. Helen and Jake listened as the sound of Daria's voice filled the now quiet room. Daria eyes were closed so she was oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at her. When she was done, she opened her eyes and blushed. Helen and Jake were afraid that she would go running out of the room. Instead, Daria looked over to Jane as they shared a half smile. Although she was still dealing with a lot of problems, Daria had started coming out of her shell.

Quinn's first day in third grade marked a change for her as well. Wanting to be more like Jane, she decided to start paying attention more in class. Ms. Harrison had been told that Quinn tended to be on the hyper side. Quinn sat calmly as the teacher told them what they would be learning through the course of the year. Quinn smiled because she already knew what to expect. Quinn's class sat next to Daria and Jane's class at lunch. Ms. Harrison smiled as she watched the three sisters talking about how their day was going.

That night at dinner, Helen and Jake talked about how amazed they were at Daria. Trent was not surprised in the least. Trent explained to that that when lived at the commune, Daria would sing herself to sleep. She made her voice louder to drown out the sounds of the police sirens that frequently visited the art colony. Thinking that being in chorus would bring back bad memories, Helen asked Daria to reconsider joining the class. Daria refused to change her mind. She liked singing and now had an actual reason to enjoy it ... she thought the teacher was cute.

After dinner, Daria, Jane, and Quinn were watching a movie in their room when Trent came in and joined them. He was nervous because he was starting high school the next day. The three girls gave him a big hug and reminded him that some of friends would be there and no matter how the day went, they still loved him and thought he was cool. He looked down at his sisters and smiled. In his eyes, they were right. It didn't matter what the other students may think of him because the only opinions that he cared about were right there in that house.


	16. Chapter 16

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 16)

The Morgendorffer house was a bustle of activity. After homework was finished, Jane would practice on her cello in the garage. Sometimes Daria would join her and sing to whatever song Jane was playing. Helen took Quinn to cheerleading practice while Jake and Trent handled dinner duties. When the weekends arrived, the family would watch Quinn cheerlead for the Highland Falcons Youth Football team.

Daria got sick in early October and her doctor advised Helen and Jake that she should have her tonsils removed. They scheduled the surgery for the following Monday. Jane had been worried until she had another dream and Sheridan assured her that everything would be okay. Jane and Quinn went to school while Trent and Jake went with Daria for the outpatient surgery. When Daria returned home, Jake carried her upstairs so she could rest. Daria ended up missing the entire week of school. Jane hated not having Daria around. She would come home and tell Daria about what they covered in class and help her with homework. Daria started to feel better on Thursday and was ready to go back to school the following Monday.

Quinn was excelling in Ms. Harrison's class. Every time they started a new chapter or lesson, Quinn would go home and ask Daria and Jane about it. Quinn loved listening to her two sisters talk about what she was learning. All of her hard work paid off when she got all A's for the first time on her report card.

Trent was enjoying high school. Some of his classes were harder than he expected, but Helen and Jake were there to give him a hand. His guitar playing was also improving. One Saturday Trent was practicing with his friends when the instructor; Mr. Thomason, walked into the auditorium with a girl around their age. Trent watched as the petite red-head made her way to the front row of chairs and sat down. Trent could feel as throat drying up. As he and his friends finished the song, the instructor stopped them before they could start another song.

"Josh, Mark, and Trent ... meet Charity. Her family just moved here from Austin. She's taking drum lessons from Allen and was looking for some people to play with. Are you guys interested?"

The three guys stared at each other for a moment then shrugged. Mark asked if they could hear her play before they decided. Charity would come back on Wednesday with her kit and play a couple of songs. As Charity and Mr. Thomason walked out of the auditorium, Trent couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Even if she didn't end up practicing with them, he wanted to get to know her better. He would get his chance that Monday, when she started classes at Highland High School.


	17. Chapter 17

Jane Morgendorrfer (Part 17)

While Trent was practicing with his friends, Jane and Daria were in the middle of an intense discussion over who needed the security blanket more ... Linus or Charlie Brown. Quinn just looked at her two older sisters and rolled her eyes. Several minutes later, the debate was called a draw. The three girls decided to watch a movie. Halfway through the film, Jake and Trent arrived home. The three listened as Trent described the girl who had sat in on the band practice. They couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Trent's face when he walked past their room.

Trent ran into Charity at school as they were heading to the same English class. They compared schedules and realized they had three classes together and the same lunch period. During lunch, they talked about music and their families. Charity came from a large family as well. She was the youngest of seven. Trent told her about the Morgendorffers and Daria. After school, Trent asked if Charity could come over with her drum kit so they could practice in the garage. Jake was hesitant at first, because he wasn't sure about the noise from the drums. Charity explained that she had mute pads for her kit that muffle the sound coming from them. He looked over at the smile on Trent's face and agreed. Charity headed to her sister's car while Trent got into the back seat to the sounds of three giggling little girls.

Charity arrived at the Morgendorffers' house about an hour later. Jane and Daria watched the teenager put together her drum set. Jane smiled as she began to think about adding one to her Christmas list. Seeing the child staring at her with great interest, Charity asked if Jane wanted to help her put the mute pads on. Carefully, Jane began to slide the circular shaped foam pads over the snare and tom-toms while Charity put the pads on sections of the cymbals. Leaving the garage, Daria ran upstairs and grabbed a sketchbook. Quinn followed her into the garage where she saw the teenaged girl wearing a hot pink midriff and having shoulder-length hair the same color as her own. Daria, Jane, and Quinn sat down to listen to their big brother and his new friend play.

After playing a couple of songs, Trent was convinced that Charity would be a great addition to the band. Charity then asked the three girls if they wanted to try playing. Daria didn't want to, but Jane and Quinn jumped at the opportunity. Helen and Jake walked into the garage as Charity was showing Jane how to play a basic bass and snare drum beat. Quinn went running up to her parents asking them to stay until her turn was done. Jane finished and went and stood by her parents. Quinn followed what Charity showed her and played the same beat. When Quinn's turn ended, she hit the cymbal as a smirk came over her face. Charity gave her a high-five as she jumped off the stool.

Helen and Jake asked Charity to stay for dinner, but she refused. Her mother would be picking her up in fifteen minutes which meant she barely had time to take apart her kit. Trent and Jake helped her load her drums into her mother's van. Charity's mother, Nancy was introducing herself as Helen walked out of the garage. Helen smiled at the woman who recognized her instantly. Nancy was the stenographer for the Highland Municipal Courthouse. A brief conversation took place and Helen agreed to let Charity bring her kit over to practice a couple of nights a week. Trent's cheeks turned bright red as Charity waved at him.


	18. Chapter 18

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 18)

Charity showed off her skills for Josh and Mark who immediately decided to let her practice with them. Looking over at the smile on Trent's face, Charity blushed. The rest of the afternoon, the four played some Beatles and Doors tunes. As they left the practice hall, Trent rubbed the back of his neck as he asked Charity if she wanted to go get pizza that Friday night. Both teenagers blushed after Charity accepted the offer. Trent's face was still slightly red when Jake arrived to bring him home. Trent told him about asking Charity out. Jake gave him a slight grin and offered to drop them off if they needed a ride.

Jane and Daria had just finished their homework when they began working on other projects. Daria started drawing a picture of a room with worn down furniture and bedding. The room was dark and depressing. The more Daria drew of it, the sadder her own face became. Wrapped in the memories of her former life, Daria was oblivious to the fact that Jane was no longer in the room. Jane came back a few minutes later to tell Daria dinner was ready. Daria sat her sketchbook down and followed Jane. Daria was quiet the entire dinner, even after Jake told them about Trent's upcoming date. Jane looked over at her friend, now sister, with concern.

Bath-time followed dinner, this week was Daria's turn to go first. While alone in the bedroom, Jane looked at picture Daria had been working on. The place was unfamiliar to her, so she decided to show it to Trent. Trent stared down at the sketching and felt his eyes begin to water. He explained to Jane that the room looked a lot like Daria's old room when they lived with their parents. Jane thanked Trent and they walked back into her room. Daria was out of the tub and dressed in her pajamas. Jane handed Daria back her sketchbook as she and Trent gave the smaller girl a hug. A smile came over the black-haired girl's face as she ripped the sheep out, crumpled it up and threw it away. Once he realized that his little sister was okay, he left the room.

Friday came quickly and Trent began to get nervous about meeting Charity for pizza. Jake dropped Trent off at Charity's house. Two of Charity's older sisters agreed to drive them to the local Pizza King. The two older siblings sat on the far end of the restaurant from where Charity and Trent were sitting. The two teenagers sat and talked about Austin, Highland High and other interests outside of music. When they were through eating pizza, Anne and Traci asked the two if they wanted to go do anything else. So the four of them decided to go bowling. Trent had a good time getting to know Charity and her family. When they were through bowling, they drove back to their house. While waiting for Jake to pick him up, Trent and Charity sat on the porch. As they saw Jake's car turn onto Charity's street, the two teenagers stood up. Charity thanked Trent for a wonderful afternoon and kissed Trent on the cheek. Charity waved goodbye as Trent slowly ambled towards Jake's car. He didn't realize that his hand never left his cheek the entire ride home.

Trent walked into his house with a big grin on his face. Daria, Jane, and Quinn couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick on Trent. Especially when they saw the pink lipstick on his cheek. Even Helen and Jake ribbed him a little, but just in jest. He laughed at the teasing, then began to wonder what his older siblings would have thought or if they would have even cared.


	19. Chapter 19

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 19)

Over the next couple of months, things were good for the Morgendorffer clan. Jake added some new clients which allowed him to hire a small staff. Helen won two big cases for her firm and was negotiating a third. Quinn began excelling not only in school, but at playing the drums. While Jane enjoyed learning the drums, she liked the cello more. She placed second in a state-wide writing contest for an essay she wrote about why school was important to her. Trent and Charity began dating, which gave both his and her little sisters plenty of teasing material. Daria struggled a bit as it neared the one anniversary of her officially becoming a Morgendorffer, but the upcoming Christmas concert at school seemed to snap her out of her mood. Then came a surprise at their front door.

It was two days before Christmas concert and the start of the Christmas break. Helen heard a knock at the front door. She opened it to find a young woman in her late teens/early twenties with red hair and green eyes staring back at her. She was carrying a back pack that looked like it had seen better days.

"Ummm ... I was told by some of the people at the commune that Daria and Trent Lane are staying here."

"Yes they are. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Trent and Daria's older sister -"

Suddenly a voice from behind her spoke up. "Penny?"

"Tee ... is that you? Dang, you've gotten tall." Penny handed Helen her back pack and hugged her little brother who was now staring at her eyeball to eyeball.

"Penny ... What are you doing here?"

"Argentina was okay, but I needed a break from making coin pouches. So I decided to come home for a little while, but when I pulled into the commune, Sunbeam told me that mom and dad are at Ashfield and you and Daria were here. Where is Dee?"

"She's up in her room doing homework. Trent ... why don't you give your sister a tour of the house. I'll be right back."

Helen walked upstairs and knocked on Daria and Jane's door. Jane answered it with a finger raised to her lips. Pointing over at sleeping sister, Jane tried to open the door as quietly as possible. Helen looked down at her little charge resting and hated to wake her up. Helen lightly shook Daria until the tiny girl stretched and rubbed her eyes. Grabbing her glasses, she looked over at Helen in curiosity.

"Daria, your sister Penny is downstairs with Trent. She wants to see you."

A look of sadness came over the small girl's face. "I don't see why - she's already left me once."


	20. Chapter 20

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 20)

After several minutes, Helen walked downstairs ... without Daria. Trent headed up to Daria and Jane's room. Jane heard the light knock on the door and opened it. Making his way into the room, he looked over and saw Daria sitting in a little ball. Sitting down beside her, Trent wrapped his wiry arms around his little sister.

"Come on Dee ... Penny wants to talk to you. I know we haven't seen each other in five years, but she wants to make sure we're okay."

"Why ... she's just like mom and dad. She'll just leave when she doesn't want to be around me anymore."

"I was wrong to do that the first time squirt. South America is amazing, but I should have came home more," Penny said as she cautiously made her way into the room.

Jane sat on her bed and watched Daria's expression as Penny walked over to her. Trent slid over to make way for their older sister, but continued to hold Daria in a protective hug. Penny explained to Daria and Trent that she was going to be fixing up their house at the commune. Concerns were raised from the younger siblings. The mention of the commune alone was enough to make Daria tense up in Trent's arms. As Trent began to tell Penny about some of the things that had occurred at the commune, she began to understand Daria's reaction.

As the Lane siblings talked, Jane sat quietly reading. Every so often she would look up from her book to check on her sister. She saw Daria's reaction when they talked about the commune. As the topic changed, Daria began to calm down. Jane pretended not to notice Daria pointing at her and the smile that had formed on the small girl's face. For the first time since Penny's arrival, Daria seemed relaxed and happy. A sense of relief came over Jane as she continued to skim through the pages. Hearing the sound of Daria jumping off her bed, Jane noticed the Lane siblings walking towards her.

"Tee and squirt have told me that you're one of their new sisters. I guess, in a way, that makes one of mine as well. I'm Penny Lane."

"Jane Morgendorffer. I bet you used to get teased at a lot for your name."

"Yeah - I did, but it could have been worse I guess. They could have name after my parents' other favorite Beatles song."

"Which song was that ... Rocky Raccoon?"

"No ... Yellow Submarine." Penny's answer got a laugh out of everyone in the room, including Daria.


	21. Chapter 21

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 21)

Helen and Jake invited Penny to stay for dinner. While they ate, Penny told them about her adventures through South America. Jane was fascinated by Penny's stories. A decision was made in the back of Jane's head to ask Penny if she could write a book about them when she was older. Penny asked if it would be okay if she came over to see Daria and Trent on a regular basis. Helen and Jake were hesitant at first, until Penny assured them that she had very little contact with her parents and that the commune had cleaned up its act. Most of the druggies were kicked out or in jail. Seeing the hope of a new start with their sister in Trent and Daria's eyes, Helen relented. Jake and Trent offered to help Penny clean up the Lane house. Trent asked Helen and Jake if Penny could stay over that evening and he would sleep downstairs. Helen and Jake agreed.

A couple of hours later, it was Daria, Jane and Quinn's bedtime. Penny told them a few more stories before Helen made Quinn go in her room for bed. Going back downstairs, Penny and Trent talked about life, school and Charity. Listening to her little brother, Penny felt a tinge of jealousy for her two younger siblings until she remembered why things happened the way they did. Not wanting to miss the last days of school before vacation started, Trent wished his sister good night. As Penny walked back upstairs, she turned back to see Trent stretch out on the couch and fall asleep. Entering Trent's room, Penny looks around and sees a photo taken the last time the Lanes were together. Daria was maybe a year old. Running her fingers across the picture, Penny drew and long breath and sighed and wondered where things went wrong. At least the two of you will have a chance at a normal life.

The next morning, Jake dropped Penny off at the commune after bringing the kids to school. On the drive to the Lane house, they talked about what Penny's plans were for the place and job prospects. Pulling up to the house, Jake invited Penny to the Christmas concert at the Elementary school. Penny smiled and accepted then waved as Jake pulled away.

Daria and Jane arrived home from school that day excited. Tomorrow was the last day before Christmas vacation started. Jane had gone into the garage to practice on her cello while Quinn watched. Jake was sitting on the porch talking to a client. When Jane finished practicing the three songs that her strings class was performing, she and Quinn went outside to play. Walking back into the house, they could hear Daria singing "Oh Holy Night". Knowing that Daria would stop if she knew that everyone was back, Jane quietly closed the door and sat with Jake and Quinn in the kitchen. Daria's voice echoed from the bedroom through out the house. As Daria finished, Jake waited a moment before getting up and loudly closing the door and announced that they were back inside. Daria came downstairs and joined them in the kitchen.

Trent got home from Charity's house right as it was time to start cooking dinner. As he and Jake began destroying the kitchen, Jane and Daria went back upstairs. Sitting at her desk writing, Jane turned to see Daria leaning against her bed, reading intently. Wanting to ask what her sister was reading, Jane decided against it. The silence of the room was finally broken by Daria.

"So - I know you were downstairs when I was singing earlier ... how did I sound?"

Jane sat stunned for a moment. "You sounded really good. How did you know we were inside?"

"I have four older siblings. I may have been little when we were all living together, but I know when people are trying to sneak in. Even my real mom and dad would have heard you."


	22. Chapter 22

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 22)

Jane and Daria were getting dressed to go to the recital. Not one for wearing dresses, Daria fidgeted as Helen straightened out the bottom. Promising to take the girls to look at Christmas lights after the concert, Helen was finally able to stop Daria from moving around. Jane looked over at Daria and smirked; their secret plan had worked perfectly. By the time Jake and Trent returned with Charity and Penny, Daria, Jane, and Quinn were dressed and ready to go. The concert was being held in the cafeteria at Highland Elementary School.

Daria, Jane, and Quinn rode with Helen while Charity, Penny, and Trent went with Jake. Penny was a little disappointed that Daria didn't want to ride with her. Trent had invited his older sister back into his life with open arms, but Daria was hesitant. Staring out the window, Penny thought about what it would take to get Daria to trust her again. Sensing what his sister was thinking, Trent placed his hand on Penny's shoulder and squeezed.

"Give her time Penny - she likes you. She just doesn't want to get attached to you again just to watch you leave."

Slightly nodding, Penny reached up for her brother's hand. Arriving at the school first, Jake and the rest of his group talked about the upcoming Christmas holiday. Helen and her group parked a few spots down from Jake. Hearing the teasing Penny was giving Charity and Trent, the younger Morgendorffers couldn't help but join in and laugh. Daria smirked and gave her older sister a high-five. Penny bent down and gave Daria a good luck hug. Much to Penny's surprise, Daria hugged her back. Trent watched his older and younger sisters and hoped that this was the start of rebuilding their relationship. Charity, Jake, and Trent wished both girls good luck as Helen walked them to where the other fourth-graders were getting ready. Despite heavy protests, Helen gave Daria and Jane a quick kiss on the tops of their heads.

Mrs. Gentry saw Jane approaching and led her to where her cello was set up. Jane gave Daria a thumbs up as they separated. Daria continued down the hallway to where Mr. Keller was standing. she blushed slightly as he smiled at her. The students in chorus were going to get to sit in the front while the music class played their songs. Then, there would be an intermission and the two groups would switch places. Daria went into the cafeteria and saw a couple of her classmates waving at her. When she sat down next to them, the two girls tried to convince Daria to go Christmas caroling with the rest of the chorus over the weekend. A couple of rows behind them, Helen was listening to the conversation and decided to talk to Daria about it after the concert. Mr. Keller put a finger up to his mouth to silence the talking children moments before the lights dimmed and the curtain was moved.

The Morgendorffers watched the curtain move and Jake readied his video camera. Daria looked up and saw Jane sitting behind the cello, bow in hand, ready to make it move across the strings. Jane's eyes glanced down at her sister and a slight smile came across her face. Mrs. Gentry tapped her music stand and raised her arms to begin conducting. Jane kept one eye on the teacher and the other on the sheets of music in front of her. After their three-song set, they stood up as the audience clapped. The fourth- graders were then led off-stage as the fifth-graders came on. Jane was relieved the whole thing was done. The fifth-graders played four songs before intermission. During the break, Mrs. Gentry congratulated all of them on a job well done. She allowed them to either go sit with their families or sit where the chorus had. Jane decided to go sit with her family. Seeing his daughter heading towards them, Jake moved over a seat so she was between him and Trent.

As the chorus made their way to the stage, Mr. Keller gave them a last minute pep talk. Daria drew a deep breath as the curtain was raised. Mr. Keller signaled for them to begin. Three songs later, all of the fourth graders backed away from the front of the stage except Daria. Her family looked at each other in confusion, until she began singing "Away In A Manger". When she finished, the fourth-graders left the stage and went into the hall. While Daria sat with her classmates in the hall, Trent and Penny came running up to her and gave her a hug. After the fifth-graders finished singing, Mr. Keller wished everyone a Merry Christmas and sent them to their families. Each taking one of Daria's hands, Penny and Trent went to join the Morgendorffers.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a solo sweetie?" Helen asked after kissing Daria on the top of the head.

"Yeah kiddo - that was amazing." Jake followed.

Daria looked at both sides of her family. "I wanted to give you a surprise for Christmas."


	23. Chapter 23

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 23)

Hearing the knock on the door, Daria smile as she invited the group inside. Helen and Jake shook the chorus teacher's hand. As the sounds of other voices made their way upstairs, Jane came down to join them. Soon, Daria and Jane were talking up a storm with a couple of the other kids. Helen and Jake were happy to see that Daria and Jane were starting to make new friends. As the group got up to leave, Mr. Keller invited Jane to join them and be in charge of the donation bucket. Waving to their parents, Daria and Jane walked out the door.

Three hours later, Daria and Jane returned with huge smiles on their faces. The chorus had raised almost a thousand dollars for their class trip in the spring. Entering their bedroom, Jane proceeded to write down the events of the afternoon. Stopping every so often to look at her sister, Jane was still amazed at the voice that came from the small girl. Daria was so quiet, her voice usually soft and monotoned, but when she sang - the power showed. Standing in front of her easel, Daria was oblivious to the fact that she was the center of her sister's attention. Picking back up her notebook and pencil, Jane continued writing.

A few days before Christmas, Penny showed up at the Morgendorffers and asked Daria to spend the day with her. Hesitant at first, Daria agreed as long as they didn't go to what was now Penny's house. Helen and Jake exchanged glances as Daria and Penny walked out the door. Riding in silence, Daria stared out the window and wondered where Penny was wanting to take her. As the road seemed to stretch for miles, Daria closed her eyes and fell asleep. Hearing the engine being turned off, Daria woke up and looked out the windshield. Her eyes enlarged when she saw the giant museum sign. Penny walked over to the passenger side of the car and held out her hand and smiled. Excitedly, Daria grabbed Penny's hand with an iron grip.

As they walked through the exhibits, Penny would give Daria background about some of the artwork and artists. Penny brought her camera and allowed Daria to take as many pictures as she wanted. Daria soaked in every painting, sculpture, and word like a sponge. Losing track of time, they stayed until the museum closed. While eating dinner, Penny explained that she was around Daria's age when she went to her first museum as part of a class field trip. As she described the trip, she said she felt hurried and left disappointed. Penny didn't want the same thing to happen to Daria. The younger sister looked up at the older in deep appreciation.

Entering the Morgendorffer's house, everyone was sitting in the living room watching a movie. Seeing Daria running towards them, they paused the film and listened as Daria described her day in vivid detail. Looking at the excitement in his little sister's face, Trent turned to Penny and gave her a hug. Offering her a seat next to him, Trent slid over. Leaning over to her, Trent began to whisper in her ear.

"Sounds like she really enjoyed your day together. What made you come up with the idea of bringing her to a museum?"

Pointing towards Jane and keeping her voice low, Penny replied. "I realized the best way to get to know Daria was to get to know Jane. Jane and I have something in common, we both like to run. Yesterday while you were at practice and Daria was taking a nap, we went for a run around the neighborhood. I asked her if Daria had ever been to a museum and when she replied no but had been wanting to go to one for months, I knew we had to go."

"You know, you could have asked me." Trent huffed.

"Little brother - I love you to death, but those three have you wrapped around their little fingers. You would have told Daria about my plan the second she flashed a pair of puppy dog eyes at you." Penny patted his back and laughed.


	24. Chapter 24

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 24)

After Christmas vacation, the rest of the school year seemed to fly by. As her fourth grade year was coming to an end, Jane was called to Principal Brown's office. Walking into the room, she saw Helen and Jake waiting for her. Sitting down next to her parents, Jane began to wonder why she was there. Seeing the look of worry on the young girl's face, Mr. Brown flashed a smile as he took his seat.

"The reason I asked you to come in today, Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer is that we would like to discuss advancing Jane to the next grade level. Her test scores are off the charts and now that she is starting to develop socially, we feel as though she is ready for middle school."

Helen and Jake's faces beamed with pride, while Jane's began to lose color. "I don't want to go into the sixth grade next year." Jane's voice was steady and firm.

"Why not, sweetie?" Helen asked. "This would be a major accomplishment."

"Will Daria be able to skip too? She's as smart as I am."

"Daria's test grades were close to yours in every subject but math. I'm sorry Jane, but her math score wasn't high enough for her to move up." Mr. Brown looked at Jane sympathetically as he stood up. "I don't need an answer right away ... why don't you discuss at home over the next couple of days and let me know what you decide then, okay?"

"Thank you Principal Brown. We will get in touch with you." Jake got up from his chair and shook Mr. Brown's hand.

While she opened the door, Helen looked down and saw the defiant look in Jane's eyes. "Calm down sweetie, we'll talk about it when you get home from school. Now you better get back to class - you don't want to miss lunch."

Staring up at her mother with unmoving eyes, Jane nodded. Jake waved goodbye to her before heading out the school's main doors. When Helen arrived back at her office, she went to talk to Rhonda about what had occurred and Jane's reaction. Rhonda listened with caring ears about Jane's potential move and how angry Jane was about it. Finally, Helen asked Rhonda's advice on how she and Jake should handle it.

"Helen, Jane and Daria have been inseparable since they met. Daria has helped Jane out by being someone her age that she can talk to and that is something that a child with Jane's intelligence really needs. Let me ask you a couple of questions. One ... does Jane seem to like school?"

"Yes ... yes she does."

Rhonda nodded. "Does she still seem to find it interesting and challenging?"

"She gets a little bored sometimes, but then her teacher has her work on a story or two and she's fine after that, especially if she and Daria are working on a project together."

"I see ... here is my advice Helen. I can see it in your eyes that you want her to skip a grade, but don't tip the apple cart. If she's happy at school then don't force her to do something that might make her rebel against it. Be proud of her for being intelligent enough for the offer to be made, but be prouder of her for standing her ground and knowing what she wants. A few years from now, she is going to be a strong enough force to deal with as a teenager. Can you imagine the F5 tornado you would release out into the world if she's a pissed off one?"


	25. Chapter 25

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 25)

Helen called upstairs to announce that breakfast was almost ready. Quinn ran out of her room and barreled past her dad and into Daria and Jane's room. Her two older sisters were getting ready for their last day of being fourth graders. When they went downstairs for breakfast, Trent was at the kitchen studying for his last and hardest for him exam - English. Having Charity, Helen, and Jake around to help him, Trent had started to improve in the subject, taking a shaky low C average and bringing it up to a B average. Seeing their older brother getting stressed out, the three little girls gave him a good luck hug. A few moments later, a car horn signaled that Trent's ride was there. Wishing him good luck, Helen and Jake waved as the teenager walked out the door.

As the three little girls ate, they talked about the class parties that were being thrown that day. Listening to the conversation, Jake began to box up the cupcakes that he and the girls had made the previous night. Unconsciously, he started scratching at his nose, which had been covered in chocolate frosting twelve hours earlier. Jane finished eating first and helped Jake load the treats into the car. As they put the last tray in the front seat, they heard the sound of the front door closing. Daria and Quinn were talking about how much they were looking forward to summer vacation. Jane joined them as they climbed into the backseat. Jake adjusted his rear view mirror and smiled. Hearing the laughter coming from the behind him, Jake realized just how much he loved taking them to school. Once at Highland Elementary, Jake helped the girls bring the snacks to their classrooms, earning him a big hug from each. Walking out of the school, he looked at his watch. In just five hours, his favorite part of the day would be there - picking them up from school and hearing about their day.

The two client meetings Jake scheduled for that day went well. Now he was making some last minute changes on a proposal for a potential new client. While he was looking over everything with a fine tooth comb, he heard the alarm he had set chime. After grabbing his paperwork and placing it in his briefcase, Jake locked his office door to go get the girls from school. Pulling up to the curb, Jake opened the car door for Daria and Jane while Quinn was telling some of her friends goodbye. On their way home, Jake stopped and got everyone ice cream. When they got home, Trent was waiting for them with a grin on his face. He had passed his exam and was going to end year with a B average. Jake gave him a high five and agreed to take him to buy a new guitar on the weekend.

Helen's day had been long and stressful. As she pulled into the driveway, she could hear the sounds of music and laughter. Seeing that his wife was having a bad day, Jake pulled her into a warm embrace. After kissing him on the cheek, Jake told her about the kids and their day. The news of Trent's exam did seem to lighten her mood. Then, Jake started talking about how excited the kids were about the upcoming summer vacation. Helen cringed for a moment and asked Jake to have the kids join them. When everyone was in the living room, Helen drew a long breath. The happiness of the day had been momentarily halted by one sentence.

"Jake, kids ... my mother is coming to visit us."


	26. Chapter 26

After researching, I realized that Grandma Barksdale's first name was never used in the show and that pretty much each writer has a different first name for her so why should I buck the trend. So, here is my version of Mother Barksdale, Maureen.

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 26)

The Morgendorffers spent the next couple of days getting the house ready for the Barksdale matriarch. Before this past week, Helen had hardly mentioned her mother to Daria and Trent. Seeing the stress in their adoptive mother's eyes, the Lane siblings determined that Helen's relationship with her mother was tenuous at best. Even Jane was walking around on pins and needles. Apparently Maureen was not too fond of Jane's lack of interest in popularity. Jake spent most of his time trying to calm his wife down. Even Quinn seemed quieter and nervous.

Maureen's flight was due to arrive Monday afternoon. Helen was waiting in the airport lobby as the flight's arrival was announced. With her stomach churning, Helen stood up to greet her mother. Seeing what she would be looking like twenty-eight years down the road walking towards her, Helen walked up to Maureen and offered a hug. Maureen looked at her daughter for a moment, then moved past her and headed for the luggage corral. Drawing a long breath, Helen followed her mother dreading the next two weeks.

The drive back to Highland was a quiet one. Pulling into the driveway, Helen saw Jake and Trent standing on the porch. Jake smiled as he walked towards the trunk of the car to grab Maureen's suitcases. As Trent passed by, Maureen stopped him and glared. Mrs. Barksdale's eyes narrowed as a look of disgust came over her face as she stared at his pierced ears.

"Well at least you don't have any tattoos," she growled.

As they entered the house, Helen called for Daria, Jane, and Quinn to come downstairs. A few moments later, the sounds of three sets of footsteps could be heard. Mrs. Barksdale turned around to see her three granddaughters as they descended the staircase. Once they reached the bottom, Maureen took one look at them and frowned.

"Quinn ... you might be as cute as Erin someday, but you two are hopeless."

Jake and Trent cooked dinner for the group. Everyone listened as Maureen sang the praises of Rita and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Erin. Erin was a rising star on the high school popularity scene ... being voted the youngest president of her school's pep squad. Her climb up the popularity ladder was being heavily funded by Mrs. Barksdale. When Helen tried to tell her about her kids' grades, Maureen paid her no attention. Instead, she continued talking about her favorite daughter's darling offspring.

"Erin just passed the test to get her learner's permit. Rita asked me if I could help her get Erin a car. We went that afternoon and I bought her a brand new Corvette. She needs a nice looking car if she is to maintain her status as an up-and-comer at school."

The kid's mouths dropped open as Mrs. Barksdale described the vehicle in great detail. Daria, Jane, and Quinn looked at each other for a moment in fear. Jake watched as his wife's grip around her butter knife tightened. Helen's face soured as she realized that Erin was driving around in her children's college fund.


	27. Chapter 27

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 27)

Over the next few days, the tension between Maureen and Helen was reaching it's breaking point. The final straw came at Saturday afternoon. Helen had enrolled Quinn in drum lessons at the same music school Trent attended. Wanting to show her grandmother how much she had learned, Quinn poured herself into that day's lesson. At the end of the class, Quinn leapt off the drum stool and ran up to Helen and Maureen. Her grandmother's eyes narrowed as she turned to her daughter. By this time, Trent's practice had finished and he had joined them.

"I can't believe you would allow your daughter to learn how to play that god awful racket! You should have enrolled her to learn a more lady-like instrument, like the flute or the violin. She's going to grow up to be a hoodlum like that boy you took into your home and his sister." Maureen pointed over to Trent.

By this point, the nine-year-old was in tears and running into Trent's arms. Signaling for Trent to bring Quinn to the car, Helen stood in the parking lot staring her mother down. Not caring if anyone heard or saw them, the two squared off. Taking one more look at Quinn being consoled by Trent was all it took.

"How dare you insult my children that way! Quinn chose to learn the drums and I think she's getting damn good at them. As for that hoodlum, Trent has been nothing but a good and protective older brother. Unlike Rita, we never get calls from his school saying he's been in a fight nor has he even spent one afternoon in detention. As for Daria, she has helped Jane become a more social person while giving her someone her age that she can actually carry on a conversation with. Daria is just as good of an artist as Jane is a writer. Quinn has become a better student by listening to her older sisters. So if you truly have a beef about what activities I let my children pursue, then you can take Erin's new Corvette and drive it straight to Hell!"

Maureen said nothing as she turned and walked towards the car. On the drive home, noone spoke. After arriving back home, Trent carried a now sleeping Quinn upstairs into Daria and Jane's room. Seeing the dried tears on his daughter's face, Jake followed them. Daria, Jake, and Jane listened as Trent did his best to explain what happened to Helen and Maureen. A couple of moments later, they heard the front door close again and the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. About an hour later, the door to Quinn's bedroom flew open and Maureen exited, with suitcases in hand.

"I contacted the airline and was able to get my ticket changed to leave tonight. I refuse to stay with anyone who insulted me to the level you did today."

"If you want to go back home, that's fine with me. Just remember, this was supposed to be your chance to bond with your grandchildren. Instead, you have done nothing but insult them and compare them to fifteen-year-old who looks like she is going on twenty-five. I want you to keep in mind though, if we do walk out of this house to go to the airport, it will be the last time you will ever be allowed to visit my home again."

"Then we better leave now.


	28. Chapter 28

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 28)

The tension between Helen and Maureen only grew worse as they neared the airport. As they pulled into the parking area, Helen picked a spot that was away from other cars. The two women stared at each other for a moment, both waiting for the other to speak. Helen took her keys out of the ignition and cleared her throat. As Maureen reached for her car door, Helen stopped her.

"Before you get out of this car, I just want to know why you hate me and my family. Didn't I go to law school like you asked me to? I know it wasn't Harvard or Yale, but Middleton was a good school. I've stayed married to the same man, a man who has never strayed or raised his hand in anger towards me - yet you treat him as though he is carrying the plague. Jane is smarter than Erin despite being six years younger and Quinn is going to break every boy's heart she encounters in high school. I can't imagine what kind of impression you gave to Daria and Trent. Those two children have been through enough hell to not have to deal with your attitude."

Maureen sat silently and expressionless in the passenger seat. After Helen said her peace, Maureen opened the car door and walked towards the trunk of the car. Helen looked out of her rearview mirror and saw her mother glaring at her and the trunk. Knowing that she wasn't going to get the explanation she had longed and hoped for, Helen drew a long breath and sighed as she exited the car. Popping open the trunk, Helen stepped back while Maureen grabbed her luggage. Helen stood for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to follow her mother into the airport's lobby. Helen opened up her car door, sunk into the driver's seat and cried. She drove home with tear stains on her cheeks.

Walking into her house, Helen was greeted by three girls who wrapped their arms around their mother. Helen returned the gesture with a sad smile on her face. You deserved better grandparents than the ones you got. After breaking off the embrace, Jane and Quinn each grabbed one of their mother's hands and led her to the kitchen. Jake and Trent were busy making a salad while the smell of pot roast filled the air. Seeing how upset his wife was, Jake put his arms around her and gave her a long kiss. Looking over at Trent, Jake motioned his head to the side. Nodding in understanding, Trent brought his three sisters into the living room so that Jake and Helen could be alone for a few minutes. Jake held his wife close to him and let her cry on his shoulder. After several minutes, she broke from his embrace and wiped off her face.

"I just wish she would accept us and our family."

"Helen - Maureen never cared for me. She expected you to marry someone from the same tax bracket as the Barksdale."

"I know. If I would have went along with her wishes, I would have said yes to Angier before leaving for Middleton."

"Well I for one am glad that wish didn't come true," Jake replied as he kissed Helen on the cheek.

Turning towards the living room as the sound of laughter erupted from it, Helen smiled then took her husband's hand. "So am I, Jakey."


	29. Chapter 29

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 29)

Helen talked to both of her sisters at length over their mother's early departure from Highland. Rita sided with their mother while Amy wished that she could have been there to witness Helen's verbal beat-down. Jane and Quinn were both relieved that their grandmother had left early. Daria could see the change in Jane's demeanor right away. While Maureen had been there, Jane was quiet and defensive. Once Maureen walked out the door, Jane began to calm down. Seeing her mother upset when she returned from the airport angered Jane. Now Jane was sitting in their room, writing in her notebook with a scowl on her face. After several minutes of watching her sister writing furiously, Daria tapped Jane on the shoulder. Jane looked up from her desk and over at a pair of concerned hazel eyes.

"Are you okay?" Daria asked.

"I'm fine," Jane mumbled.

"I'm sorry that your grandmother didn't like us."

"My grandmother doesn't like any of us. I just wish she would quit comparing me and Quinn to Erin. I don't want to be like my cousin - when I reach her age, I want to be something more than a stuck-up teenager who whines to her grandmother to get whatever she decides she has to have." Jane could feel her eyes watering.

Daria put her arms around Jane and gave her a hug. "From what your grandmother said about Erin, I don't want you to be that way either. When we are teenagers, I hope to be able to say 'That's Jane Morgendorffer, the smartest person to ever come from Highland. She's my best friend and the greatest sister anyone could ask for.'"

Jane thought for a moment before a genuine smile came over her face. Sitting up straighter, Jane returned the hug. Daria headed back to her side of the room. Turning back to her desk, Jane returned to her writing. This time, a slight grin was on her face. Daria pulled out one of her sketchpads and began to draw Jane at her desk. After about an hour, there was a knock on their bedroom door. Quinn had just came from home from playing and wanted to spend time with them. The three girls started playing Sorry and soon lost track of time.

Helen and Jake entered Daria and Jane's room to give them a lights out warning. Daria muted the television and raised her finger to her face. Jane and Quinn were leaning against each other, sound asleep. Covering the two girls up, Helen looked down to see Daria staring at her intently. Helen and Daria's eyes met for several moments. Daria wrapped Helen in a warm hug before walking over to her bed and laying down. Helen knelt down and brushed a strand of hair out of Daria's face.

"Don't let your mom upset you. You're a better mom than her and my real mom combined any day," Daria said right before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 30)

Daria spent the week following Grandma Barksdale's departure trying to get Jane out of her bad mood. She was given some surprise help in the form of her older sister. Penny was teaching an art class at the community center and had asked Helen if Daria and Jane could sign up. Jumping at the chance to get the girls something to do, Helen quickly agreed. The classes were every Tuesday and Thursday from one to three in the afternoon. Penny would come and pick them up then drive them home afterwards. Sometimes the drive home took a little longer if ice cream was involved.

Jane was happy to see that Penny was trying to connect with not only Daria, but herself. As the weeks went by, Jane improved some in art while Daria flourished. Jane always liked watching Daria as sketched or painted, but seeing her in this class was different. While the art class in school focused on drawing general shapes, Penny wanted her students to learn about details and the finer points of art. Daria soaked in the knowledge like a sponge. Both girls were upset when the class ended after six weeks.

Trent spent his summer working for Jake while Charity babysat Daria, Jane, and Quinn when they weren't in classes. Quinn was taking drum lessons from Mr. Thomason while Trent was in band practice. Seeing the young girl's potential, he decided to set up a band with some of his younger students. Charity, Josh, Mark, and Trent volunteered to help Quinn and the three others out. Hearing that her big brother was going to be helping them, Quinn was happy. Her band's practice would be immediately after Trent's group on Saturday afternoons.

With a little over three weeks left in their children's summer vacation, Helen and Jake took them to them to the beach for a week. The Lane children had never been to a beach. Daria and Jane spent most of their time collecting shells that Daria would use in an art project when they arrived back home. Quinn enjoyed burying Trent in the sand and building castles. Jake made sure that he got plenty of pictures and video. The week was over sooner than anyone wanted. Now it was time to get ready for school to begin.

A few days before school started, Trent approached Helen and Jake. Although he was only a sophomore, he wanted to talk to them about college and what kind of grades it would take to get into a good one. He wanted to get a degree in business so that he could work with Jake full time. Trent knew that getting into music was hard and he wanted to do something he enjoyed while pursuing his dream. Seeing her husband's face light up, Helen assured Trent that as long as he kept a B average, they would help him go to college. As Trent left the room, Helen turned to Jake who still had the smile on his face.


	31. Chapter 31

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 31)

Jane and Daria arrived at school for their fifth grade year to find a new addition to the playground area - a paved track. Daria had never seen such a smile on her sister's face. A couple of their friends from their music classes ran up to them to talk about their summer vacations. As the day went on, it began to sink into the Morgendorffer sisters' brains that this was going to be their last year in elementary school. They knew that they were going to have to make it count.

For her part, Quinn was ready to take on fourth grade. Like her sisters before her, this year was Quinn's turn to pick which music class she wanted to take. Quinn looked forward to taking a class with one of her big sisters. Because the school only had a strings class, Quinn chose chorus. The only instrument that caught the red head's fancy was the drum. She was thrilled when Helen told her she could continue drum lessons after school and her band on Saturdays. She also had a secondary reason she chose chorus - her band needed a singer.

The first couple of months of school went well. All four of the Morgendorffer kids were off to a good start. Then in early November, Jane came home complaining of a really bad stomachache. The next day, Jake took her to their family doctor. Suspecting appendicitis, their doctor had Jake bring Jane to the hospital. Jake called Helen who told the rest of the kids what was going on when she picked them up from school. When they arrived at the hospital, Daria didn't want to leave Jane's side. As the surgeon explained the procedure, Jane's grip on Daria's hand tightened. As it neared the end of visiting hours, it took Trent ten minutes to convince Daria to come home with him, Quinn, and Jake. Helen was going to stay with Jane that night. Jane's surgery was scheduled for first thing in the morning. Before she left, Daria left one of her sketchbooks for Jane to look at.

That night, a very tired and scared Jane finally fell asleep as her mom read to her. Helen's voice was calming and provided Jane with a small sense of peace. As she slept, she dreamed she was sitting in her and Daria's bedroom. Instead of Daria being in the room, Sheridan was sitting on her bed. Seeing Sheridan at that moment slightly frightened the child. Seeing the fear in Jane's eyes, he waited until she was settled before speaking.

"Hi Jane - I'm sorry I scared you, but I saw that you weren't feeling good and wanted to check in on you."

"I have to have surgery tomorrow. I don't want to, but the doctor said it was the only way I would feel better."

Sheridan nodded. "The doctor is right and don't worry - you'll get through this with flying colors. You'll be here for a few days and you will miss a little more school - but you're going to be just fine."

"How do you know this? Are you my guardian angel or something?"

A small smile came over his face. "Think of me more as a guide. Well - I have to go. I will talk to you again soon, okay?" Sheridan stood up to leave. "Take care, Jane."


	32. Chapter 32

Jane Morgendorffer (Pat 32)

Helen watched Jane as she slept that night. A mix of fear and love were causing her stomach to fill with butterflies. Helen began to reflect on how much Jane had changed over the past couple of years. Yes - Jane was still highly intelligent, but now she had more interests than just books. Her and Quinn were getting along better and the devotion between Daria and Jane amazed her. Thinking about the teasing interactions between the three girls and Trent made a smile come over Helen's face. Around four in the morning, Helen began to lose her battle against sleep. Before getting a few hours of much needed rest, she said a quick prayer that her daughter would be okay.

Daria spent the next day at school distracted and worried about her sister. Jake arrived at school after lunch to pick her and Quinn up. Jane was out of surgery and ready to be moved back into a room. By the time Jake and her sisters arrived, Jane was sleeping peacefully. Seeing her family enter the room, Helen walked up and told them that the surgery went well. The worried look on Daria's face quickly disappeared. Daria sat down next to her sister's bed and waited for Jane to wake up. About two hours later, Trent and Charity joined them. Hearing her family's voices, Jane opened her tired eyes and smiled. Her side hurt, but she did feel a whole lot better than when she arrived at the hospital. Even her Aunt Amy and Ms. Harrison called to check on her. Reaching into her book bag, Daria pulled out some get well cards she and her classmates made during art class.

Jane came home from the hospital a few days later. Although she was still sore, Jane wanted to return to school. Her doctors told her she would have to wait another week, so Jake turned his living room into a temporary office. Penny stayed with her one day while Jake visited a client. They spent the afternoon painting with watercolors. Everyday, Daria came home from school and told Jane about what happened in class. They worked on their homework and Daria made sure she turned in both her and Jane's assignments. The only things Jane had to make up once she was allowed to return to class were a math and a social studies test.

As Christmas vacation approached, Helen got a call from Amy. She asked Helen if they would like to spend Christmas in New York with her. The kids loved the idea, especially Trent. He had always wanted to visit New York and dreamed of playing there someday. Trent then got up the courage to ask if Penny could join them. Trent didn't want his big sister to be alone on Christmas. After talking to Amy, Helen agreed. Penny was stunned at the invitation and immediately accepted. Helen booked everyone's flights that night.

Amy sat in the airport lobby waiting for the flight from Highland to arrive. She still couldn't believe she had invited Helen and her family to visit her. Her biggest fear was how she would react seeing Daria again. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten. Shaking it off, Amy walked over to the airport's coffee shop. As she exited the cafe with her espresso in hand, she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Amy, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Helen and her family. Nice to see you again too, Rita."


	33. Chapter 33

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 33)

Rita heard her sister's name and cringed. The memory of Maureen's rant when she returned home from Helen's house was seared into her memory. Amy stared at her sister for several seconds as she tried to scope Rita's reaction. Amy decided to take a preventive strike in hopes of making Rita leave before Helen's flight arrived.

"So Rita - what brings you to the Big Apple?"

"Bruno wanted me to meet him here for the weekend. He's here on business. I hope he gets here soon, but he's stuck in traffic."

Damnit - there goes that idea. Amy nodded. "Traffic is one of the things I don't like about living here. That and I've seen a rat or two lifting my car for exercise." The two sisters laughed.

Spotting a bench, Amy and Rita sat down. Amy listened while Rita sang the praises of their mother and Erin. Their conversation was interrupted a few minutes later by the voice of a very happy ten-year-old.

"There's Aunt Amy - see I told you she wouldn't forget to pick us up." Jane broke away from her parents and ran straight for her favorite aunt, but then froze at seeing her least favorite aunt sitting beside Amy. "Umm hi Aunt Rita."

As the rest of the Morgendorffers approached, Jake caught sight of Rita and had the urge to run to the airport bar. Helen grabbed his hand and led him towards the bench her two siblings were sitting at. Rita and Helen gave each other a short hug. Rita looked at her at her newest niece and only nephew. She studied Daria then moved to Trent, but her eyes kept going back to Daria. Making a face of some digust, Rita backed away from the Lane siblings. Seeing how her older sister was staring at her daughter, Amy's anger began to rise. Then, the last member of the Morgendorffer party arrived and confused the blonde Barksdale. Looking at the three, Rita shrugged off her confusion.

"Helen - I thought you told me that you only adopted two children."

"Daria and Trent's older sister Penny traveled with us."

Rita stretched her hand out. "How nice to meet you, Penny."

Penny stared at Rita's hand for a moment, but never accepted it. "Watching the way you were looking at my sister, I won't say likewise."


	34. Chapter 34

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 34)

A moment of tense silence came over the group. Rita stood slightly shocked at the older Lane sibling's comment and retracted her hand. She also noticed that Amy had moved to stand next to Helen. As Penny began to walk up to the blond, Trent put his hand on his older sister's shoulder.

"Calm down, Penny - she's not worth it. We're in New York - let's enjoy it instead of getting arrested."

"You're right, but if I ever see her looking at Daria like that again, I will leave a size seven boot imprint against the side of her face."

"Aunt Amy - can we leave, please?" Daria's voice was barely above a whisper.

Amy went over and grabbed Daria by the hand. "Of course we can. I asked you guys to come visit me to have a good time. If we hurry - we can you have all unpacked and be at Rockefeller Center in time for some night ice skating."

Helen nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds like fun - I haven't skated in years. Let's go. Rita - enjoy your wait alone. " Helen picked up her luggage and turned to walk away.

The rest of the Morgendorffer clan followed its matriarch as she headed away from Rita. The only one who looked back was Penny, her green eyes glaring at the older woman before she grabbed her little sisters other hand. As they loaded up everything in the mini-van Jake had rented, Amy asked if the girls could ride with her back to her place. She pointed to her new convertible. Quinn ran over to the car and began moving her hand over the top. Seeing the excitement on her children's faces, Helen agreed. Amy offered a ride to Penny as well. Penny shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the car. Daria, Jane, and Quinn put their jackets on right before getting into the backseat. Penny sat down in the passenger seat. After checking to make sure the girls had their seatbelts on, Amy slid into the driver's seat.

As they drove away from the airport, Amy asked the girls if they wanted her to put the top down. Despite the forty degreee temperature, the girls nodded. During the ride to Amy's place, she pointed out several landmarks. On occasion, Penny would turn around to look at the girls' faces as they stared up at the skyscrapers. Part of her wished she could share their awe. When they arrived at Amy's, the girls were still talking about all of the buildings they had seen. Amy opened her door and the girls jumped onto the couch to continue their conversation. Penny followed Amy into the kitchen as she ordered pizza. After hanging up the phone, Amy offered Penny a soda.

"Thank you for not hitting Rita today. I know she really deserved it, she gets her charming personality from our mother." Amy said.

Penny shrugged it off. "I just didn't want her to say anything to Daria. Rita reminded me of our older sister Summer. She's a bitch, too."


	35. Chapter 35

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 35)

Helen, Jake, and Trent arrived a few minutes later, luggage in hand. Amy gave a quick tour of the condo. About fifteen minutes later, the pizza arrived and everyone enjoyed their first taste of authentic New York Style Pizza. Two bites into the cheesy goodness, Jane and Daria decided that they wanted to move in with Aunt Amy for good. Once dinner was devoured and the luggage unpacked, Amy had everyone pile into the van so they could go ice skating.

Despite already knowing how, Jane was hesitant about going skating. She was still a little tender from where she had her appendix removed the month before. Amy promised Jane that she wouldn't let her fall. Jane waited a moment while she watched her parents skating around the rink hand-in-hand and smiling. Penny was slowly leading Daria while Quinn tried to help Trent stay on his feet. Seeing the fun everyone else was having, Jane took Amy's hand and they began to skate around. Two hours later, the exhausted group loaded back into the van.

Penny asked Amy if there was any way possible that they could go to Metropolitan Museum of the Arts. Amy talked it over with Helen and Jake and they liked the idea. They would go there in the morning and the library's main branch in the afternoon. Daria, Jane and Quinn began asking Amy all sorts of questions about both. Amy loved watching Daria and Jane as they became more animated as the conversation went on. That night, the girls struggled to fall asleep. The girls soaked the sights in both buildings up like sponges. That night, when they arrived back at Amy's, Jane wrote about their day while Daria studied the book that Amy had bought her in the Met's gift shop.

The next day was going to dedicated to doing some shopping and sight-seeing. Daria and Jane weren't interested in the stores, but Quinn felt as though she had died and gone to heaven. Penny and Trent enjoyed the music store and picked up several CDs there. As they walked around, one store caught Daria's eyes - a tiny comic book store. She asked if they could go in and Helen nodded. As they walked through the aisles of thin magazines, nothing caught Daria's interest until she got to the last set of shelves. Instead of magazines, the shelves were covered in books - graphic novels. Daria quickly grabbed Jane and brought her to the aisle. Daria and Jane studied the books in complete fascination. After asking the clerk which ones she would recommend, Penny picked out a couple. The group left the building with not only the novels, but the seeds planted in two ten-year-olds heads.


	36. Chapter 36

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 36)

Christmas Eve morning, Daria woke up to a sight she thought she would never get to see except for on television. Snow - there was actual white flakes falling from the sky on CHRISTMAS EVE. She had always wondered what a White Christmas looked like in person and now here it was. Daria stood there silently, watching the snow as some of the flakes stuck to the window. A few minutes later, she was joined by Quinn, who began jumping up and down. Quinn's commotion caused Jane to finally open her eyes and slide out of the bed. By the time Amy entered their room to let them know breakfast was ready, all three girls were staring out the window in awe.

"Why don't you three get dressed and after we eat, we'll go play outside," Amy said as left the room.

Ten minutes later, Jane and Quinn were sitting at the kitchen table. They were through eating by the time Daria joined them, sketchbook in hand. Penny sat down next to her little sister and looked at the picture Daria was drawing. It was the view from their bedroom window. At first, Daria wanted to finish her picture before going outside, but Jane and Quinn changed her mind. Trent and Jake took the girls to go have a snowball fight. Amy, Helen, and Penny stared at the simple drawing for a minute.

"She's a lot better than I was at ten. During the summer class I taught, she did better than many of the adults in the class. Her art teachers aren't going to know what hit them," Penny stood up, grabbed her gloves, and headed for the door to join the fight.

Helen went back to her room to finish wrapping the last of the presents. Meanwhile, Amy continued to gaze at the picture in front of her. Carefully, she ran her fingers across the page as a smile that could only be made by a proud mother came over her face. Feeling a tear roll down her cheek, Amy quickly wiped it off before it could hit the page. She grabbed her coat and went outside, where she was immediately attacked by a barrage of snowballs.

Two hours later, everyone went back inside, tired and cold. Helen was in the kitchen making hot chocolate and coffee. Jake gave her a tiny hug, just as he was putting a handful of snow down the back of her shirt. Amy and her three nieces laughed as they watched Helen trying to get the snow out. Jake ran away as his sister-in-law and daughters gave him a high five as he passed.

"Jacob Morgendorffer - wait 'til I get my hands on you!" Helen screamed as she shook her shirt vigorously.

Once she had taken a bath and changed, Daria went back to her room with her sketchbook. Jane and Quinn were playing Monopoly with Penny and Trent. Staring out the window, she continued to work on the picture she had started that morning. The only noise that could be heard in the room was when the pencil moved across the paper. An hour later, Jane walked into the room, laid down on the bed, and opened her notebook. Soon, the sounds of two pencils working feverishly filled the room while the young artist and writer enjoyed the peace of their own little worlds.


	37. Chapter 37

****

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 37)

The rest of the Christmas vacation seemed to fly by. Everyone loved going to Times Square to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve. Two nights before they were supposed to leave, Daria woke up from a bad dream. She wandered through the hall until she saw that one of the bedrooms had a light still on. Quietly, she knocked on the door. Thinking that whoever was in the room didn't hear her, Daria turned to head back to her room. A couple of moments later, the door opened and Amy stepped out.

"Is everything okay, Daria?"

Daria shook her head back and forth.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

Daria gave a slight nod.

"Do you want to come inside and talk about it?" Amy extended her hand.

Daria took Amy's hand and went into the bedroom. Both of them sat down on the bed. Still holding Amy's hand, Daria scooted over so that she was sitting right beside her "aunt". Amy gave the ten-year-old's hand a gentle squeeze.

"So, tell me about what this dream was about."

"I got in a fight with Jane and she said that she didn't want me as a sister anymore. She tried to have Helen and Jake send me back to my real mom and dad," Daria said as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"You know that would never happen, right? For one, Helen, Jake, Jane, and Quinn love you very much. So, do I. Yes, there will be times that you and Jane will get into arguments with each other. That is something siblings just do. Helen and I used to argue all the time, now look at us - we are good friends. Now, what did you have the argument about?"

"I didn't like a story she had written and she said that she hated a picture I had painted."

"Not everyone likes the same kind of books or art. With the both of you being artistic, an argument like that might happen to you someday. It won't mean that you two love each other any less. Just keep in mind, you can an the artist or writer and not like every work of art or story they wrote."

Looking up at the older woman, Daria nodded. "Why don't you and mom get along with Rita?"

"Rita never respected mine or Helen's thoughts on anything. That is why we try not to see each other."

"You don't think Jane, Quinn, and I will end up like that?"

"No, Daria. I think you three are going to be good friends because you respect each other's feelings."

"Good," Daria said through a yawn.

"It looks like someone is getting a little tired. Do you want to go back to bed?"

"Can I stay in here with you? I don't want to wake Jane or Quinn up."

Amy could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She stared down at her daughter and tried to will her voice to speak. "Sure thing, Daria. Let me get another pillow out of the closet."

While Amy was rummaging through the closet, Daria crawled under the blanket and fell asleep. Amy returned and gently lifted the girl's head onto the pillow. She could feel her eyes burning as the moisture built up inside them. Lying down beside her daughter, Amy kissed Daria's forehead, and drifted off to sleep.


	38. Chapter 38

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 38)

Penny sat between Daria and Jane on the plane trip back. Jane had fallen asleep and was leaning against her unofficial big sister. Pulling out her sketchbook, Daria's pencil began to move carefully over the paper. Jane's bangs were covering one of her eyes and her mouth was slightly open. Penny watched as Daria focused her entire attention on the sleeping girl's face. The sketching continued for almost the entire rest of the flight. When Jane finally awoke, she looked over to see the picture Daria was drawing.

"I am glad to see that I make such an interesting subject," Jane huffed.

Daria gave her a slight grin and closed the sketchbook. Right before the plane landed, Daria slid the book into her duffel bag. Once they arrived home, everyone went into their rooms to unpack while Helen brought Penny home. Jane quickly put away her clothes and then helped Daria finish. Jake returned forty minutes later with dinner in hand. Trent had invited Charity over for dinner. After the meal, Charity and Trent left to go to a movie. Jane asked if she could go practice her cello while Quinn played the drums. Helen and Jake nodded and watched as the kids ran into the garage. They looked around for Daria, until they heard the bedroom door close.

Daria could hear Jane and Quinn as she brought back out the sketchbook. She reached for a stack of old newspapers that she kept near her bed and spread several pages on the floor. Then, she placed her easel on top of them and grabbed an empty canvas from the closet. When she was finished setting up, Daria opened her book to the drawing of Jane. Taking her time, Daria began to recreate the sketch on the canvas. An hour later, Helen and Jake called for Jane and Quinn to come inside and get ready for bed. Helen followed Jane into their room to tell Daria to change into her pajamas and her mouth dropped.

Still wearing the clothes she left New York in, Daria was already sound asleep. The drying canvas still resting carefully on the easel. Although she could tell it wasn't finished, seeing Jane's sleeping face in the picture before her made Helen want to wake Daria up and wrap her in a hug. Helen signaled for Jake to join her. Jake smiled brightly as he and Helen picked the paper off the floor and grabbed the brushes to clean them. For her part, Jane stared at the portrait and smirked. Before they left the room, they kissed both girls foreheads. A few minutes later, Jane turned off the bedroom's light. Then she realized that Daria was sleeping on top of her covers. She nudged her sister until Daria woke up just enough to stand up. Jane moved her blanket aside as Daria took off her glasses. Daria laid back down and wrapped herself in the warmth of the comforter.


	39. Chapter 39

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 39)

As the last half of the school year went by quickly. Trent's grades continued to improve, with the help of Helen, Jake, and Charity. On his sixteenth birthday, Jake took him to get his driver's license. Despite being extremely nervous, he passed with flying colors. Helen and Jake made him a deal. If he finished the year on the honor roll, they would buy him a car. Trent was stunned at the offer. Then, he realized something that truly bothered him. This opportunity would have never occurred if he was still living with his real parents. Trent knew that with a little more effort, he could make the honor roll.

In March, both Jane and Quinn won State Writers Awards for their grades. Jake and Trent built a shelf in each of the girls rooms to place their trophies. The State Art Fair wasn't until May. Daria's teacher submitted two of her works, and despite her love for art, that was not the competition she wanted to win. It was the one she had not told her family about. A week earlier, Daria had Jake sign a permission slip to go with the rest of the fifth graders in her chorus class to attend a Junior State Choral Competition. What she didn't tell them was she would be competing with the group and as a soloist. Daria sat nervously as she waited her turn. Part of her wanted Trent and the Morgendorffers there, but the other part of her wanted her to do this for herself. When she stood up on stage, Daria could feel the doubt and insecurity rising inside of her. She closed her eyes and did the only thing she could do to try to chase those demons away.

Her voice rang out through the tiny audition room. The more she focused on the song, the less she realized that there were other people in the room. Mr. Keller stood at the back of the room and smiled. He thought about the day he and Daria had picked "Fool On The Hill" after school. Daria was waiting for Jane and Quinn to finish talking to the principal about their writing awards. Daria roamed the halls until she was next to the chorus room. She could hear the song playing through the door and liked it. Knocking on the door, Daria waited for a moment before Mr. Keller let her in. He replayed the tune and watched as Daria began to mouth the lyrics silently. Asking him to play it one more time, she began to sing along with the music. That was when he asked her if she would sing the song at the upcoming competition. His flashback ended right as she sang the last lyric of the song. Daria stopped and quickly left the stage. As long as she sang, Daria was okay on stage. Once the music stopped, Daria felt the urge to run.

The group took third overall for the Elementary Schools that entered and Daria placed fourth in the solo competition for the under thirteen group. That night, when she came home, she placed her trophy next to Jane and her certificate in a frame and sat it on her desk. Helen and Jake were proud, but upset at first that she hadn't told them. Explaining to them that their presence would have made her even more nervous, they understood. They went out for pizza that night at a little restaurant near Jake's office.

Inside, the family sat down to celebrate the accomplishments of their three youngest members. Daria noticed an old time jukebox sitting in the corner. Daria asked to be excused from the table. Trent watched as his little sister made her way over to the jukebox. Daria studied the song list carefully and then went back to the table and asked for a couple of quarters. Trent pulled fifty cents out of his pocket. After thanking her brother, she walked back to the jukebox and placed the change inside of it. Carefully, she typed in the numbers and watched as the forty-five was pulled from it's slot and placed on the record player. Helen and Jake turned towards Daria and smiled as the sounds of the Beatles filled the quiet restaurant.


	40. Chapter 40

Jane Morgendorffer (Part 40)

As the last days of school approached, Jane and Daria got their class assignments for next year. The only classes they weren't together in were music and math. A few of their friends from class shared the same schedule. They knew that middle school was going to be a big adjustment, but they were looking forward to it. When they got home that afternoon, going into the sixth grade was all the two sisters could talk about.

As Quinn listened to her sisters, it was the first time she began to realize that she would be spending next year alone. Despite being friends with just about everyone in her class, Quinn knew that she would miss talking to her sisters at lunch. Daria and Jane gave her a hug and told her it would be okay and that she was lucky because she would be going to school fifteen minutes later and getting out of school fifteen minutes earlier than they would be. Quinn hugged them back and smiled.

As their final day of being elementary students ended, Ms. Harrison walked up to Daria and Jane and wished them luck. She also informed them that she was moving to Maryland because of a better teaching job had opened up. Jane asked her former teacher to send a letter with her new address. That way Jane could send her copies of her stories. Ms. Harrison agreed and gave the two girls a hug before they walked out of the building.

Trent had been working hard the last two quarters. His hard work paid off and he passed his tenth grade year with a 4.0 GPA. He barely made the A honor roll with an 90 in Geometry. Everyone was proud of him for pulling his grades up. The weekend after school got out, Jake and Trent went shopping for a used car. They found a green '88 Honda Accord Sedan in pretty good condition and low mileage. When they arrived home with it, Helen agreed that they made a good choice. Daria liked it because it was her favorite color. Trent was happy because now he could drive to gigs that Mr. Thomason was lining up for the band.

Trent was also ready to resume his job at Morgendorffer Consulting. He picked up some pointers last summer, which resulted in more crowd approval when he performed. Helen hired Penny to keep an eye on the girls over the summer and signed all three up Penny's art class. Penny would use the money Helen gave her to pay for next semester's tuition. She had started back taking night classes so that she could earn her teaching degree. At the end of May, Amanda and Vincent officially put the paid-off commune house in Penny's name.

The summer flew by quicker than any of them wanted it to. Then came the big day August 20th. The first day of school for sixth-graders at Highland Middle School. Jake pulled up to the curb and let them out. Once their father drove away, Daria and Jane looked up at the building in front of them. Then, they turned to each other and smiled.

**End**


	41. Author's Note

This is the end of Jane Morgendorffer 1. I would like to thank everyone who has been reading and posting replies on this series. I have really enjoyed writing this and I will be starting JM2: The Middle School Years sometimes in March, but I want to finish Promises and I have a few other stories that have been eating at me. Thanks again to everyone.


End file.
